More Than Just A Man
by Young Napoleon22
Summary: Finding the world to be a darker place than he'd ever imagined Robin learns that, in order to stop Slade and protect those he loves, he can't BE Robin anymore. To stop the rising threat to his city as well as the world he must become someone else; he must become SOMETHING else.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: No, this is not a joke, I really have finally decided it was time to bring this story back from the abyss. For those who read the original I apologize for taking it down, especially since I didn't finish it and left you all with unanswered questions and unfulfilled hopes of seeing where the story goes but I want to explain why I did it.**_

 _ **To be frank; I didn't feel like I was ready to handle the story yet. I still didn't believe I was capable of writing the whole thing out and making sure it came out the way I envisioned it in my head.**_

 _ **But now, after so long, I truly feel like I can do this. More Than Just A Man is truly here to stay now and WILL be finished!**_

 _ **For any new readers I ask that, even if you don't like my choice of pairing, you give my story a real chance because I honestly believe that I'll be able to deliver a truly enjoyable story that befits that of the original Teen Titans series.(I'm mostly regarding such episodes like Masks, Apprentice, and of course The End as those were some of the most serious and DC-toned.)**_

 _ **With that being said I hope you all enjoy the revamped first chapter to what I hope will become one of this fandom's more interesting stories.**_

 _ **More Than Just A Man**_

 _ **Ch. 1- A Bitter Pill**_

 _ **xXx**_

Thunder boomed over Jump city as a torrential downpour pelted the streets. Heavy dark clouds hung over the skyline, their thick bodies keeping out even the barest hint of moonlight. Vicious winds accompanied the storm; their force strong enough to cause street signs to tremble. Down below there was lines of traffic sitting at every intersection, each individual cars' wipers going full power to afford drivers even the slightest glimpse through the flood of rain bucketing down from above.

It was through this unyielding force of nature that a number of citizens caught the sight of a red streak blazing through the streets and whizzing through the proverbial maze of cars and trucks. But those who saw the streak only managed a lightning-fast glimpse before it was gone again...only to see, so long as they didn't blink, a violet blur following close behind.

But it didn't stop there. Zooming through the air, tailing that last fuzz of color, was a green and orange trail that was leading what seemed like a blue and white rocket.

To an outsider these flashes of color would seem like a trick of the storm, but to the citizens of Jump they meant something else; safety. Those blurs were a sign that while there was danger in their city, a team of heroes was on their way to ward off that evil and protect Jump and all who lived there.

It was a sign that the Teen Titans were on the move.

"Man I can't believe Slade's really choosing _now_ to hatch his latest scheme." A voice called out through the com system of the blue and white blur; which upon closer inspection turned out to be a car. The driver being the one who spoke was a half-man/half-machine known as Cyborg. His hefty body was mostly made up of mechanized parts, with only parts of his head and his arms retaining their original human form. The dark-skinned teen was one of the five founding members of the Teen Titans, and was currently sat beside a short, green-skinned boy dressed in a purple and black uniform as he expertly drove through the dangerous weather to reach the scene of the teams' next mission.

From the passenger seat of what Cyborg dubbed the T-car Beast Boy, the youngest of the five, vehemently agreed with his cybernetic best friend. Although the svelte teen, as his name suggests, had the ability to transform into any animal in the world the storm outside raged far too hard for any of his forms to fly effectively.

"I know; you'd think Slade would have at least waited until the _biggest storm of the century_ was over! But no, he's gotta drag us all the way to the pier and risk me catching pneumonia just so we can whoop him again and send him packing. I mean, seriously, what kind of sense does _that_ make?"

It was a strong, focused voice that answered them over the com link.

"Since when have either of you known Slade to operate in the realm of 'normal'? If anything, this type of stage is right up his alley, which means once we reach the pier I want everyone to stay sharp. I wanna see if we can finally get the drop on _him_ this time."

The voice belonged to the red streak leading the charge; its form taking the shape of a custom motorcycle when one got a good enough look. The driver of this super-charged machine was none other than Robin, Boy Wonder and former partner to the Batman himself. Robin was also the leader of the Teen Titans. With his helmet on the single normal member of the team was more than capable of seeing through the downpour around him, thanks in no small part to the special modifications he'd made to his visor. This meant the former side-kick could speed through traffic at speeds far exceeding those of legal limits with ease, and no worry of a collision due to poor vision.

"That would be a first." Came a monotone voice, responding to Robin's declaration. "And as much as I hate to say it, your chances don't look any better tonight than any other Robin; chances are he's already waiting for you."

From his place aboard his R-cycle the Boy Wonder grunted in dissatisfaction at his team-mate's words, although he made no attempt to refute them as he also knew them to probably be true. However, that didn't mean he didn't have something to say.

"In any case Raven, we're still gonna try. You never know how the mission goes until it's over, so we may get lucky."

The response sounded weak even to his own ears; his desire to have the last word the only reason he'd spoken them in the first place. The problem was, Raven knew it too.

"Last I heard you don't believe in luck."

There was a small, playful smile lifting at the corners of Raven's mouth as she spoke. And while none of the other Titans could see it due to both the storm and her hood, the empath knew her leader could _hear_ it over their com link. Unfortunately, their game was over before it could even begin as she noticed their destination coming up fast.

Her silence alerted Robin as well, and after focusing back on the task ahead his masked eyes narrowed in determination as he relayed a new order to his team.

"Alright Titans, remember, we're gonna pull up short of the docks and run a quick scan of the area to get a better idea of what we're up against this time." The teen let up on the throttle for his iconic bike and let it glide the rest of the way, letting the elements mask the sound of the machine whirling down and eventually stopping near one of the warehouses lining the pier. Once his R-cycle had come to a complete stop Robin dismounted the bike but left his helmet on; the clear view it gave him outshining anything he'd be able to see through his masks' lenses.

Car doors opening alerted the Titan leader that Beast Boy and Cyborg had joined him, while Starfire floated down from her position in the air. The red-haired alien princess dropping right beside her leader, Starfire let her emerald eyes look over at Robin as she asked what he could make out.

Robin's response was delayed a moment as he felt the familiar pulse that let him know Raven was close. The empath had pulled up a little short to use her powers in an effort to quiet the roaring engine of the T-car, but now he could feel her drop down on his other side. The feeling was a product of their bond, forged during his hallucinations of Slade, and had only strengthened after he helped her defeat Trigon. While at first he had worried about the goth knowing about his past as well as his true identity, Raven quickly proved herself to be a cut above the rest by keeping his secrets as if they were her own.

Which, in a way he realized, they were.

And Robin found he was okay with that.

 _'But I can think about that later.'_ The teen hero reminded himself with a rapid flutter of his masked eyes. _'Right now it's all about stopping Slade.'_

With his mind centered again Robin answered Starfire's earlier question, playing off his delay as him surveying the area. "I think I see a two-story sailor just off that dock up ahead, with what looks like a small army of Slade-bots running security. What about you Cyborg?"

At his friend's inquiry Cyborg tapped into his cybernetic eyes' enhanced vision capabilities to reaffirm what the spiky-haired younger boy had said. "You got it on the nose Rob, only on top of all that I see one of the metal-head's handling a large crate. It's handing it off now to another one that's already aboard the yacht; a Lazzara by the look of it. I can also see off the to the side another Slade-bot coming with another of those crates."

"Can you see a label on it anywhere?" Robin asked in a rush. If they could tell what Slade was picking up, hopefully it would reveal a piece of his plan.

The tin-man's response was not what the Titan leader was hoping for however. Shaking his head Cyborg replied in the negative. "Nah man, whatever label their might have been was scraped off. Either that, or Slade made sure to ship his stuff in unmarked boxes. The only way to know what's inside is to open one."

"Then we'll make that our secondary mission." Raven added in her two cents. "If we can't get Slade we'll at least get a look inside those crates, and if need be take one of whatever is inside."

The team looked to their leader for confirmation on the specs of their assignment, and tensed for their next orders when he gave a single, sharp nod. "We know _what_ to do, now we've got to see about getting it done. We don't wanna give ourselves away; even if Slade knows we're coming for him he doesn't know where actually here yet. So this next bit will have to be done with stealth, I want us all either aboard that boat or close to it before we engage those Slade-bots."

"Well can't Raven just morph us over with her shadow?" Beast Boy asked. His uncharacteristically thoughtful input got him a funny look from Cyborg, and a raised brow from the girl he'd mentioned, which caused the changeling to bluster in indignation. "Hey! I can have good ideas too ya know; the plans don't always have to come from Robin and Raven."

"Although that was a nice effort Beast Boy," Robin offered. "I had a different approach in mind. With the storm acting as a cover I wanted Star to fly a little higher, and wait for my signal to bring down a hail of star-bolts on the bots surrounding the docks while Raven used her teleportation to move Cyborg and I over and onto the rear of the yacht, while you transformed into either a small bird or mouse to get in close for an ambush with Starfire's aerial assault."

Robin's quick, but precise battle plan quickly wilted Beast Boy's ire and had the green-skinned changeling grinning sheepishly as he agreed with his leader's idea. "Oh, um, yeah let's go with that plan. Nice work Robin."

The Boy wonder offered a smirk of his own as he accepted the obvious attempt to turn everyone's attention back to the mission and off the younger boy's embarrassment. "Thanks Beast Boy; this way I just hope to confuse Slade's robots so Raven and I can get Slade by himself. If everyone's good with the plan though I think it's best we get a move on before Slade finishes and pulls away. Titan's Go!"

With swift reaction Starfire was soon rising high in the sky, a vocal wish for Robin to stay safe passing her lips as she looked down at him. "I will deal with our mechanical foes quickly, so as to be there to aid you in your battle with Slade."

Amidst Robin's own response for the pretty alien girl not to worry Beast Boy did in fact morph into snake and started on his way, winding and weaving over towards the group of Slade-bots standing guard.

Once the three were the only ones lefts Raven was quick to gently place both her hands over the two older boy's shoulders. Before she began her chant though the empath was surprised to see Robin removing his helmet, and handing it to her. Giving the masked teen a curious look she was once again caught off-guard by the answer he gave.

"I know your teleportation works better when you can see where you're going, so your superhuman eyes will definitely get a clear view with the help of my helmets vision enhancer. Besides, I think I can deal with one night of bad hair if it gets us one step closer to putting Slade away for good."

The normally stoic boy's attempt at humor was funnier than his actual joke, and that was what got a chuckle from Cyborg, as well as a quirk of Raven's lips as she shook her head in disbelief. However knowing he was only trying to help, and internally touched that he knew such a personal thing about her powers, the violet-eyed half-demon accepted the cherry-red helmet with a soft word of thanks.

Pushing down her hood Raven quickly stuffed her head inside the shell of kevlar, and into the softly cushioned inside. Once the protective gear was settled Raven noticed that she wouldn't need to do anything; Robin had left the enhancement on, rather than switching it off during his delivery of orders. As she turned to look over at her target though, the demonic daughter of Trigon couldn't help but notice the lingering scent of her leader's shampoo as it permeated the entirety of the helmet.

The scent was something earthy, with a hint of spice to it. And while too much of that sharp scent could agitate the nose, Raven found that Robin's shampoo used just the right amount to give off a pleasant tingle to her sense of smell. Being both a loner, as well as her past fear of ending the world, had lead the pale girl to embracing the sights and scents around her in an effort to savor that which she was birthed to destroy...Raven was a secret lover of nature. So to know that her leader seemed to embody that personal hobby gave her a warm glow in the pit of her stomach. Just one more thing they shared, she thought quietly to herself.

But knowing this was no time to engage in such a trivial matter as shared interests Raven pushed all thoughts of Robin from her mind and simply allowed the fragrant air of the helmet to relax her so as to focus on teleporting the two boys over to their enemy's yacht.

"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos."

The words were spoken, and the destination clear in her calm mind, so that in a matter of seconds Raven and her two team-mate's found themselves transported through darkness and on board Slade's yacht...right behind the man's personal detail of robot guards.

Careful not to make a sound, Robin motioned for Cyborg to flash his cybernetic eye up at Starfire. This would be her signal, which would in turn let Beast Boy know he could let loose.

The call was understood in seconds, and after the third blink of red Robin and his fellow Titans were treated to a light show as their resident Tamaranean unleashed a flurry of her star-bolts down upon the unsuspecting guards. But that wasn't where the entertainment stopped, as Beast Boy immediately morphed from a tiny field mouse, into a musclebound gorilla, and started laying his own siege to their mechanical foes.

Knowing the sound of battle had no doubt garnered the attention of his sworn enemy, Robin swiftly relayed an order to Cyborg to search the ship for any sign of Slade.

And that's when the yacht's engine engaged, and the vessel of the sea ripped away from the pier at a speed one wouldn't expect from such a luxury cruiser. The shock caused Robin to lose his grip on the floor and go tumbling off the rear of the boat. Only years of harsh training allowed the dark-haired teen to catch the fleeing machine's railing with the help of his grappling gun.

Chancing a look back while fighting to keep his grip Robin was bothered to find the two members of his team still on the pier were now the ones being ambushed, as more Slade-bots came marching out of the very warehouse he and his team had been using as cover.

Anger quickly found its way through Robin's veins, and he used that fire to give him strength as he hit the retraction button on his grappling gun to reel him in; his body tense as he fought the vicious waves that tried to pry his gloved fingers loose from his gadgets' handle. Once he was close enough though, all that became moot as a field of dark energy encased his body and floated him back on board.

"I didn't want to risk dropping you if the boat hit a hard wave," Raven explained. " So I had to wait until you were closer before I grabbed you; are you okay?"

Despite the ache in his body from battling with nature itself the leader of the Teen Titans offered his female team-mate a reassuring smile as he gave a positive reply. "That's alright Rae; I figured you had a good reason. And yeah, I'm alright...but I'd be better if the whole team were here."

"Star and B.B. should both be fine, all those drills you make us run and all, so don't let that distract you too much man." Cyborg offered as he engaged his sonic cannon. "Now, what's say we go tell Slade 'hello'?"

Both birds' faces set into determined masks at that suggestion, and together the three of them moved towards the front of the racing yacht. From Robin's signal, Raven used her powers of flight to lift herself towards the helm; only to find the vessel to be driven remotely. Relaying this through their coms, the empath watched her cybernetic team-mate tell the news to their leader.

A moment later Cyborg's voice was in her ear again, carrying a message from the boy whose helmet she'd yet to remove. "Rob wants me in there to see what I can do to take control of this thing; if it's too advanced I'll bail on it and help you guys with Slade."

With the new orders given Raven returned to Robin's side while Cyborg made his way over to the ladder that would bring him to the controls. As the two birds moved though, Raven couldn't help feeling a sense of dread the closer they got to the front of the speeding bullet of a boat. That unease seemed to bleed over into Robin though, because the Boy Wonder soon stopped them to address it.

"Alright, what's wrong Raven? You've got a bad feeling, I can tell, so mind explaining before we go any further?"

"I-I don't know, something about all this just seems _wrong_ ; like the night Slade forced you to be his apprentice. The team's slowly been separated until it's just the two of us, there's no more Slade-bots to fight, and from what Cyborg said Slade's just standing at the front of the boat waiting. Robin, I know you see it too...this is a trap."

Robin did know. He'd sensed much the same thing his fellow Titan had felt the moment the yacht had taken off, and now that they were just a few steps from being face-to-face with Slade the former side-kick could honestly say it felt as if a rock had dropped in his stomach. Something was definitely wrong.

Unfortunately, the Boy Wonder's hatred of losing coupled with his stubborn nature would not allow him to back down. Not now; especially not when it concerned Slade. Even after all he'd been through, both alone and with the team, that was one thing about Robin that had not truly changed. _He_ had to be the one to stop Slade.

And so, it was with these thoughts that Robin spoke again. "I know Raven, but it's two on one with a third waiting to be called. On such a small field of battle we've got a huge advantage; plus, out here there's nowhere for Slade to go."

"But then again Robin...neither do _you_."

The slick, taunting voice was followed by a pain as Robin was assaulted from the front. A sharp, swift kick to the chest had the drenched teen stumbling backwards. But the shadow didn't stop there, and soon Raven joined her leader in a heap on the ground as a vicious roundhouse had her spitting up as it hit her in the stomach.

From his place on the polished, soaked floor Robin looked up through his bangs to see his attacker. The voice had been familiar, as it often haunted his nightmares, but there was a slight echo to it this time that confused the teenage hero...until a flash of lightning gave him a clear look at Slade.

Gone was the look of a black bodysuit fitted with plates of armor to protect his vitals. In its place was a full-body suit of armor that looked largely like something made for a military special ops team. The gun-metal gray gear was now accented with rustic orange, and seemed to include a new utility belt; this one laden with grenades and magazines. The sight of extra ammunition alerted Robin to the handguns that were now strapped to both his waist as well as his thigh. But that wasn't the only deadly weapon Robin's masked eyes managed to make out...there was also a katana strapped to the towering madman's back.

From looking over his shoulder, Robin's masked eyes were drawn to the man's own masked face. What he saw sent an involuntary shiver of fear down the teen's spine. Gone was the nearly cartoon-like skull mask that Slade had somehow made menacing. In its place was a sculpted, kevlar unit that seemed to ooze ferocity and power. It also gave the downed teen his first real look at his enemy's lone eye; it was blue. But not just any blue, no, Slade's lone optical organ was the color of ice and seemed to resonate the man's cold and calculating nature with a simple glance. That one eye chilled Robin to the bone faster than an hour out in the storm, and had the teen swallowing a lump of true fear for the first time since meeting his arch enemy.

A fact Slade seemed aware of.

"Oh good, I was a little worried my old armor wouldn't work on you Robin, but I can clearly see you're just as afraid as I hoped you'd be." Here the man, with his hands clasped behind his back, leaned forward just enough and taunted. "Or maybe you're finally realizing what I've known from the beginning...that you, Robin, have no chance of defeating me."

Fear was immediately replaced by anger, and Robin rolled back onto his hands before springing off into a loaded double-kick. When Slade twisted out of the way of his opening move the furious Titan leader spun in mid-air to turn the miss into a swift spin-kick.

Slade easily leaned out of the way of this follow-up strike, but instead of letting his younger opponent a chance to land the masked villain reached out and wrapped his gloved hand in the material of Robin's cape. Giving a tug Slade wrenched the teen hero in range to where he could introduce his armored elbow to the boy's chest.

Spittle mixed with blood shot from Robin's lips as he felt the familiar pain of his ribs being fractured. The resounding pain speared straight though his body, and the Boy Wonder soon found himself in another heap on the floor as Slade let him go. Crying out in pain, Robin could barely make out the blurry image of his enemy's boot as the fiend got ready to stomp his face in. The only thing Robin could think was, _'When did he get that fast!?'_

In all their previous encounters Robin could admit to Slade being quicker than him; it was only natural considering the man had more years of experience and training under his belt. But even then, the spiky-haired hero had always been able to push himself to keep up. Here however Jump city's resident heart throb found himself unable to see Slade even _move_ when he'd reached for his cape!

But now, down on the ground, everything around Robin seemed to move in slow motion. He could feel every drop of rain as it splashed against his skin, the water's icy sting leaving behind goosebumps, and hear the way the thunder rolled from above like a series of powerful drums. Yet these things, along with the rest of the world faded from the senses as Robin's masked eyes locked with that single sapphire orb of his nemesis.

That eye was like a hard slab of ice, cold and frosty. Even as it owner was getting ready to squash the head of a teenage boy beneath his boot, that eye showed no remorse...no mercy. All Robin could see was pure satisfaction and a malicious sort of _glee_ at what was to come. It was here, at that moment, that Robin finally understood.

Slade wasn't just better than him, he'd been going _easy_ on him!

All their battles, over that whole year since he'd revealed himself, Slade had been holding back. Every punch, kick, or dodge had been done with half-hearted effort. Whenever Robin had landed a hit it was because Slade had chosen that moment to _let_ him. And that if he'd really wanted to, Slade could have killed him whenever he chose.

Robin felt his whole body slack against the floor at this revelation, felt the fight vanish from his body, and resignation take its place as he continued to stare into that lone blue eye.

That resignation turned to shock when a beam of neon-blue energy raced down like a comet and slammed into Slade's newly armored chest. The blow, while seeming to cause no significant damage, did its job in getting the sociopath away from the felled Titan leader. Then the chill of that ice-cold gaze was replaced by warmth as it was replaced with the Raven's own amethyst gems. The half-demon still wore his helmet, but had pushed up the visor to give her a truly clear look at her fellow Titan.

"Robin! Robin, are you alright? What happened; one second your fighting Slade, and then next your sagged against the floor about to get your face turned to a bloody pulp."

"Your leader has simply come to his senses, little Raven, and has accepted his fate." Slade's haunting voice cut through the pounding rain. "I suggest you do the same; the time for the Titans end is finally at hand."

Raven looked up at the encroaching madman, her eyes hard with barely controlled emotion. It was clear the sorceress wanted nothing more than to tear the masked menace apart, but both she and her enemy knew that if the girl moved Slade would easily slip past her and reach Robin.

And that was why Cyborg's voice came as such a comfort.

"Not if I've got anything to say about it!" The Titans' personal tech expert had obviously given up on taking control of the yacht upon seeing his team-mate's in trouble, and was mid-leap with his fist pulled back to deliver a crushing blow.

Slade watched his newest opponent with an almost lazy look about himself; Raven watched as he didn't even seem to tense in an effort to dodge. Instead he chose to counter. When Cyborg was within range, Slade reached out and caught the mechanical warrior's heavy fist before twisting his body, and using Cyborg's own momentum to carry the large teen over his shoulder before slamming him onto the ground.

Raven's eyes narrowed in focus as she let black energy radiate from her palms. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A beam of concentrated darkness shot forth and raced through the air in an effort to catch Slade with his back turned.

The attempt failed though as the martial arts master easily pushed off the wood floor and arched into a perfect back-flip to dodge the blow. But the man wasn't content just to defend; when his boots landed with just the barest amount of pressure Slade kicked off into a somersault. That acrobatic maneuver was followed by a powerful axe-kick that Raven barely had time to shield against, and it showed by the spiderweb cracks that scattered from the point of impact.

Slade cocked his fist back, ready to finish smashing through his enemy's pitiful defense, but an animalistic roar from above took hold of his attention. His lone eye flickering towards the sky, the masked villain felt his nostrils flare at the sight of Beast Boy coming down at him in the shape of a lion. _'It seems I'll need to give my Slade-bots an upgrade, if even the changeling can defeat them so quickly now.'_ He thought before leaping to the left so as to dodge the incoming big cat.

But Slade didn't use the smooth surface of his cabin's wall as a perch for long, as he was soon bounding off to escape being fried by Starfire's eye-beams. Keeping his altitude low Slade shifted into a flying kick that smashed directly into a recently recovered Cyborg's chest. With the tin-man crumpling back the the floor, Slade turned and ducked under Beast Boy's gorilla fists as the changeling let loose a rapid combination of strikes. It was as his ears picked up the telltale signs of a sonic canon charging to fire that the sociopath made his next move.

Cyborg had just hauled himself into a position where he could get a good shot at Slade, curses muttering from his lips as he recalled being knocked down by the older man's steel-toed boot. Anger narrowing the eldest Titan's vision, Cyborg re-engaged his arm canon and fired with a snarl.

The next scene seemed to go slow, and had the cybernetic crime fighter gaping in horror.

Slade had long since studied every aspect of the Teen Titans. This not only included their battle formations, strength, and weaknesses but also each Titan's abilities individually. And among that knowledge was the exact time, from start to finish, of how long Cyborg's sonic canon took to both boot up as well as fire. From the moment he heard the circuits winding up a charge Slade had made his move; stopping Beast Boy's large fists with both hands, Slade used them to haul himself into the air. Once his feet were of the ground, the masked villain twisted his body over the green gorilla's head, before bringing the mammal's burly arms down in a painful hold...all right before a neon-blue beam punched right into the snarling beast's chest.

With a howl of pain Beast Boy lost his grip on the transformation and reverted back to the skinny form of a fourteen-year-old boy. Hanging limp in Slade's gloved hands, the green-skinned hero was dropped unceremoniously to the polished wood floor like a sack of dirty laundry, where he proceeded to curl into a ball as he groaned in further agony.

That pain was multiplied however when Slade reared back and delivered a powerful kick to Beast Boy's stomach right before whirling around to meet Starfire's deceptively small fist with his own much large one. The resounding shock wave mingled perfectly with the strike of lightning that cracked across the sky. With that brief flash of brilliant light Starfire's shock was clear to her enemy; that had been her strongest punch!

"What, surely you don't think I'd be brought down by such a pathetic attempt as that? I've clashed with _gods_ ; compared to them you are nothing but an annoying little _ant_."

Slade's voice was drenched in contempt, and Starfire soon found herself facing the very same eye that had put Robin down in the beginning of the fight. Just like then, a shiver of true fear covered every inch of the Tamaranean princess' spine. Fear for the man, no, the _monster_ before her...and for her own safety.

Before the alien girl could shake those feelings though her enemy's hand opened and he took hold of her slim, orange wrist. A gasp of pain barely made its way past her lips before it was replaced with a sputter as Slade's other fist buried itself in her gut. But the armored madman wasn't finished, as Starfire doubled over he jumped up and smashed his knee into the teen's face; a sickening crunch telling all who heard it that Star's nose had just been broken.

Hearing the double charge of both Beast Boy and Cyborg behind him, Slade reached down to fiercely grip Starfire's matted red hair and use her head as a springboard like done with the green changeling. Pulling down hard on the strands in his gloved hand, Slade wrenched his captive's head back before chopping her in the throat and booting her forward to stumble into her team-mate's. With the two young men being forced to scramble to a stop and catch her, Slade simply stood and waited for the three Titans to settle themselves before re-engaging them in combat.

 _'After all, now that play time is over these pathetic kids have no chance of defeating me.'_

As the rest of the team was looking upon the newly serious Slade in trepidation, Raven was busy doing what she could to get their leader back into the fight.

The empath had managed to haul the raven-haired teen into a seated position, and was now seated beside him with his arm hefted over her slender shoulders.

"Robin, Robin look at me. You can't let what Slade said get to you like this; you better than anyone know that's exactly what he wants. Can't you see that he's just trying to scare you? And why do you think that is; it's because he knows with you fighting with us the Titans will push him back, just like always."

"Push him back, but never beat him Raven." The Boy Wonder's response was given through a disparaging sigh as he let his head hang. "Even after all this time, we've never beaten him... _I've_ never beaten him."

"But you _will_!" Raven answered sharply on the heels of her leader's last words. "You've worked so hard for so long that I have no doubt in my mind that you will be the one to finally bring Slade to justice; but only if you keep fighting. Only if you keep believing; like I do."

From his place at her side Robin felt he empath's emotional plea just as well as he could hear her verbal one. She was flooding him with her hope in a desperate attempt to keep him form falling into the darkness of despair, a darkness they both remembered Raven herself had fallen into the day her father came to Earth.

 _'Please Robin, don't give up. You say I'm the most hopeful person you know; but that's only because of you. I watch you, everyday, go out and put your life on the line to protect the city with nothing but your mind and the strength of your will. How can I not believe anything is possible when I watch you fight, and win, against someone like Cinderblock or Plasmus? So please, don't give up, not when we— **I** need you the most.'_

Raven's imploring voice echoed around inside Robin's head as her feelings filled him to bursting. The combined effort began to take affect, and the Titan leader could feel the numbing cold start to melt away under the light of Raven's pure, honest belief in him.

Only to have those feelings be drowned out by a primal rage when a wail of pain followed the nauseating sound of someone's bone being broken again.

Both Robin and his fellow bird shot their eyes up and watched in horror as Beast Boy dropped to his knees, clutching his hideously mangled arm with his left hand in a fruitless effort to staunch the obviously overbearing pain. Robin's masked eyes lanced over from his incapacitated team-mate and over to the man who had caused the damage. White lenses locked with icy blue and Robin's face twisted into a ferocious snarl at seeing the sick joy his nemesis seemed to derive from causing such harm to the youngest Titan.

"SLADE!"

The shout was followed by a pair of birdarangs racing through the air. They missed their target by a mile though when Slade jumped up, and over, to bounce a second time off his cabin wall.

This time though Robin was there to meet him as the leader of the Teen Titans leaped from his kneeling position, and into an aerial spin-kick. Both fighters legs smacked against each other as another flash of lightening crashed down from the sky, but Robin wasn't done yet. Working his body into a twist the sopping wet teen hero brought his gloved fist arching down for a blow to Slade's masked face. Slade in turn leaned back from the strike and flipped to land steadily on his feet.

Where normally the masked villain would offer a taunt to rile up the younger fighter Slade found himself preoccupied with dodging the racing shot of dark energy Raven sent his way just as he'd touched the ground. With nimble feet Slade coiled around the powerful projection of the goth's demon heritage before ducking two more of Robin's birdarangs. Leaping over another one of Cyborg's attempts to hit him with his arm canon Slade allowed himself to take the blow from Starfire that followed right behind. Using the momentum from her punch the armored terrorist arched his body so as to land on the palms of his hands before bouncing back to his feet to catch Starfire's attempt to land a swift kick at his head.

With the alien girl's ankle ensnared in his gloved fist Slade pulled the struggling Tamaranean's body forward before driving his elbow into her kneecap; another satisfying crunch greeted his ears, while Starfire's howls of anguish did nothing to disrupt his ability to hear Raven chant from behind him.

Dropping his captive, Slade reached into his own utility belt and pulled out a number of wickedly sharp shuriken. Whipping around he let the volley fly, with Raven as their intended target, before unsheathing his katana to meet Robin's bo-staff head on. As the two locked weapons, the sociopath finally allowed himself to quip at his former apprentice.

"You seem to have broke free of your fear Robin; I'm impressed. Or rather, I would be, if it hadn't taken the pitiful begging of a whimpering girl to snap you back to reality. Tell me, after all this is over, will you continue to have Raven check for monsters under your bed and tuck you in at night because you're too _weak_ to fight your own battles?"

Fury rushed through Robin's veins now, and without thinking the masked teen found himself sliding his staff along the blade of his enemy's sword to get inside his guard. Once he was in, Robin jerked his weapon with all his strength to slam it under Slade's chin. From there he went low, whipping around and crashing the butt of his staff into one of the older man's knees, before winding back up and driving the other end straight into the armored section of the villain's stomach.

And while the anger may have blinded Robin, Slade realized it clear as day: that had been a combination _he_ had taught the Boy Wonder.

The malicious joy that he'd succeeded in drawing out Robin's inner darkness drew Slade's attention away from the battle at hand just long enough for Raven to finally land a blow with her powers. The dark energy hit home right up against the villain's armored sternum and sent Slade flying back. This brought the man's senses back to fully throttle however, and he easily managed to right himself in mid-air before landing masterfully on the deck of his yacht.

From his crouched position Slade took a brief moment to survey the battlefield.

Both Beast Boy and Starfire were out of commission courtesy of the bones he'd broken in their arm and leg respectively. Cyborg could only offer support through his sonic canon unless he wanted to risk his green-skinned friend's safety by leaving his side, and Raven was now in a similar predicament as she glared at him from her place beside her fellow female Titan.

 _'That only leaves...'_

Robin, the Titan leader and one-man army, stood veritably alone with his bo-staff held at the ready. Even with his domino mask firmly in place Slade could see the pure, primal fury that no doubt burned in the sixteen-year-old hero's eyes; and that was more than enough to put a vicious smile on the villain's hidden face.

"Well Robin," Slade began with a voice saturated in ridicule. "It looks to me as if you're the only one left standing. How... _predictable_. For all your teams strengths, all their boasting, they haven't even managed to land a single hit let alone make me break a sweat without you there to set it up for them. It's just as I've said time and again; the Teen Titans will never defeat me. Just as you, _Robin,_ have no real chance as you are now. Unfortunately I'm done trying show you the truth, and I'm done playing games, so after tonight I suggest you and your team either hang up your capes or start looking for a place to be buried together."

Before any of the Titans could react Slade pulled a grappling gun from his waist and shot it up into the air. Three sets of eye then watched as their greatest enemy was lifted into the sky by a passing helicopter; the flying machine's rotor's being silenced by both the storm as well as the yacht's own motor.

Robin tensed, ready to make an attempt to catch hold with his own grappling gun, when Raven called for him to stop.

"You have no idea who else could be in there; Slade by himself will be hard enough, you won't have time to split your focus." Ever the voice of reason Robin found himself forced to agree with Raven's warning. So, letting the energy leave him the Titan leader instead turned his attention to his team.

"Raven, how long will it take for you to mend Starfire's leg?"

From her place beside the alien princess the goth in question gave Robin the first piece of good news he'd had all night. "With her already increased healing it should only take me another minute or so, but I'll have to wait until we're at least back at the tower before working on Beast Boy, otherwise I won't have the energy to get us back to the pier."

"That's fine," the Boy Wonder answered with a sharp nod. Then, turning to Cyborg he dished out another order. "Now that we're alone, I want you to go back up to the helm of the boat and see what you can do about getting this thing to stop. If we're gonna be relying on Raven to get us out of here I want this thing steady so she can focus."

Cyborg rose as he gave a reply. "On it man. Now that the distractions are out of the way I should be able to-"

That was as far as the tin-man got before the entire cabin of the yacht exploded.

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the new chapter one for More Than Just A Man. I ended it with the yacht explosion this time, rather than Robin's introspective, because the second chapter will be all about different character's internal thoughts about what happened as well as the introduction of Slade's new group of followers.**_

 _ **Raven and Robin's interest in each other, although not necessarily romantic yet, may have come off a little heavy here for some people and I understand that. However, I'm trying to get it to flow with the obvious connections the two would have made thanks to both 'Haunted' as well as 'The End'. Their relationship is not one that I will rush however, and I just wanted to establish their separate intrigue for the other bird early on so as to build on it during later chapters.**_

 _ **If you need a better understanding of Slade's change I direct you to Arkham Knight/Origins, as that is the look I'm giving him now that he's decided to become 'Deathstroke' again rather than just 'Slade'.**_

 _ **Other than pointing out Slade's whole point in this chapter was drawing out Robin's darkness, and not killing the team which is why he didn't use lethal force, I don't think there's much left for me to say here. So, as I say in all my stories please feel free to let me know what you think, as well as hand out any constructive criticism so that I may better tell my tale.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I make a couple of 'cosmetic' changes in this chapter, as well as a couple majors ones from the original series that I explain at the end of the chapter.**_

 _ **More Than Just A Man**_

 _ **Ch. 2- Dark Waters**_

 _ **xXx**_

Raven had just barely managed to throw up a barrier to protect both Starfire and herself when the explosion happened; her superior sense of hearing allowing her to catch the sound of the high-pitched detonation moments before it happened. However that left little time to fortify her shield, which after catching the initial blast shattered under the following shock wave, and sent both the dark empath and her injured friend following after their fellow Titans into the churning sea below.

The ice cold water stabbed at Raven's nerves as she was tossed about by crashing waves. When her head broke the surface she attempted to suck in as much air as possible before she was dunked back under, only to be surprised at hearing an electronic voice in her ear a second later.

" _Danger, there has been a breach in your safety Robin; vitals unstable. Oxygen levels in critical condition; activating defense protocol."_

Before Raven even had time to question the strange voice she was made to watch as the visor for Robin's helmet came down over her eyes on its on, right before the cushioned interior of the safety device seemed to mold around her neck. Immediately the goth girl realized that the water that had been spilling in through both ends was now being kept out, while a mouthpiece was gently inserted between her lips to feed her fresh oxygen.

While both these things were great, and had Raven marveling a bit at her leader's technological ingenuity, they did nothing for her pounding head which she could feel had a laceration that was currently bleeding. That, mixed with the uneasy waters that surrounded her, had Raven feeling completely off-center. With uneasy eyes though she still made an effort to search for her friends as she sloshed about. It was a difficult endeavor, but one that eventually paid off when her violet eyes caught a glimpse of of something blue.

 _'Cyborg!'_ She thought in a desperate state. Straining every muscle in her body, the lithe sorceress fought against the stormy waters to reach her floundering team-mate. Over and over she arched her arms, her legs kicking to try and propel her forward, and yet all it seemed to do was burn away what remained of her energy as she was no closer after sixty seconds of effort than she was a minute ago.

This knowledge only further fueled Raven's rapidly increasing anxiety, which in turn caused her to burn away more energy in a frantic struggle to reach Cyborg.

All of this was ground to a halt though when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around the her flailing form, and and the voice of her leader filled her ear. "Raven stop! Raven, you've got to calm down, it's okay now. Everyone's okay-"

"No!" Raven cut him off. "Cyborg's still out there Robin; we have to reach him before-"

"And we will, but only if you _calm down_. Raven, you're losing control, and it's only making everything worse. Don't you see? You can't reach Cyborg because your powers are making the tides more unstable; you've got to calm down or else the three of us will drown."

Raven's struggling settled at that; her body having begun to tire from fighting both the ocean _and_ Robin now. With the adrenaline and fear leaving her system the female Titan finally had enough clarity to ask about the other members of the team.

"I grabbed Beast Boy and Starfire and carried them both over to the wreckage of the yacht; it's banged up pretty bad, but there's a big enough piece of it still floating that we can all regroup on. And now, with _your_ help, we can grab Cyborg and figure out how to get home. Just so long as you're okay now?"

Raven's response was a hesitant nod; her heart finally slowing enough to where it didn't feel like it was going to burst through her chest. "Y-Yeah, I'm alright, and I think I have you to thank for that Robin. Your helmet really save the day for me. Not only did it take a lot of the blast for me, but the safety measures you took with it kept me from taking in water."

"It may have done all that, but I can see it didn't manage to catch _all_ of the blast; you're bleeding Rae." Robin rebutted with a tinge of regret.

Raven gave her masked leader a look over her shoulder as she nipped his coming apology in the bud. "We can talk about how that's not really your fault later Robin, like you said, right now we need to get Cyborg to safety."

From there it was a combined effort of Robin's physical prowess and Raven's powers that got them over to Cyborg and then lifted over towards the wreckage of Slade's yacht. Once the Titans were all together again Robin took stock of his team's condition.

Beast Boy had been laying on the floor when the explosion had gone off, with Cyborg standing over him, so he had managed to escape the worst of the blast. However that did not mean the green changeling escaped unscathed; his spandex suit was torn in a number of places, and Robin could clearly make out various cuts and bruises that came from both the bomb going off and the fight with Slade. He also had a mild concussion from his head impacting with the sea.

Cyborg, unfortunately, had suffered a great deal because of his stance over Beast Boy. The cybernetic crime fighter had lost his left arm in the explosion and there was extensive damage to the aligning leg. Frayed wires jutted from breaks in the young man's metal leg while fluid streaked down his side from a chunk that had been taken out. Thankfully Cyborg reported that none of his vital functions had been compromised in the blast, however the repairs to his system would indeed take time to complete.

Starfire, whose leg had already almost recovered from being broken, was saved from being torched by use of Raven's quick reaction time. The empath's shield, like with the goth herself, had taken the brunt of the detonation which left Starfire to deal with the ensuing aftermath. The Tamaranean princess, like Beast Boy, was littered with cuts and bruises as well as a uniform now in tatters. On top of this her nose was still broken, and a few burns dotted her torso, but the red-headed alien gave a verbal thumbs up to being okay.

That left the birds to look each other over.

Robin could see that his team's uniforms were all in shreds if Raven's ruined cloak and lacerated leotard were anything to go off of. However the girl underneath seemed to have managed to come away from the entire night the most unscathed. Aside from the cut along the side of her head, which turned out look worse than it was, Raven had only sustained smaller cuts along her side and along her right arm and leg. There were also a few burns, like Starfire, on the side of her body that had faced the explosion. Raven rightfully concluded that Robin's helmet had kept her from suffering the same concussive state as Beast Boy, and she softly thanked him again for that.

In turn she inspected the masked teen before; like Cyborg he had also sustained the worst sort of injuries. And for that Raven regretted having the raven-haired hero's helmet. Robin's brightly colored uniform was all but in ribbons now, although oddly his cape remained in perfect condition, and his mask was badly fringed around the edges. His hair was wild, sticking out every which way, and Raven could even make out that his dark locks were singed from the heat of the blast. Unlike the rest of the team Robin's human body was layered with lacerations; the cuts ranging in severity from slivers to gashes that would indeed leave scarring. Blood leaked from just about every wound, from his torso to his kneecaps, and Raven had to wonder just how it was her leader managed to even be standing, let alone pull both Beast Boy and Starfire to safety. There was also heavy bruising along the Titan leader's chest as well, causing Raven to gasp in horror at remembering Slade's fracturing of those same bones early that night.

"Robin, your ribs! The blast, it must have finished Slade's work because they look like they're broken! Robin, h-how did you even manage to-"

"You'd be surprised; this isn't the first time I've had to finish a mission with broken bones." Robin tried to stave off Raven's worry, but right after he spoke the Titan leader went to take a step forward...and promptly collapsed onto the floor.

"ROBIN!"

 _ **xXx**_

As the Teen Titans were worrying over their leader Slade Joseph Wilson was standing in the bay of his helicopter, arms crossed, and speaking with his pilot.

"I suppose I should congratulate you on a job well done, Sportsmaster, your explosives went off perfectly and your arrival was punctual. I can only hope your _sons_ perform as well as you claim."

The man in question was a large one, even as he sat in the pilot seat, and was a walking mountain of muscle. His body was clothed in a skintight plum-colored shirt and a pair of black, military-issue pants. On his feet were a set of equally black combat boots lined with gray, and there were greaves strapped to his shins. On his large forearms he wore another pair of guards, these ones with a series of sharp spikes jutting from the center, with a black kevlar vest strapped to his chest. Along both of his broad shoulders were plated guards, and his face was hidden beneath an ash-gray hockey mask that only revealed his mud-brown eyes.

Without taking those eyes off the stormy sky in front of him Sportsmaster gave a retort. "If you had listened to me and sent brought them out with you tonight you'd already know; instead you chose to stick with your outdated junk soldiers."

Slade's lone blue eye narrowed a bit as he warned, "I'd be careful Sportsmaster; that almost sounded like an insult to my intelligence. And we both know how well I do with those." Then his voice lost its edge as he continued on. "In any case, they did serve a purpose. I now know that the Titans have advanced beyond the mach 1 model of my machines, which only means now I can reveal their new and improved design. As for your suggestion from earlier; had I taken the four of them along it would link us together, and _ruin_ my plan. You _do_ remember that there's a plan, don't you?"

"Yeah, I remember, but just like you've got to be the smartest guy in the room my pride in my boys doesn't ever leave any room for someone to doubt their skills." Sportsmaster rebuked.

" _Only_ for your sons Sportsmaster?" Slade's voice took on a taunting edge this time. "Am I to understand it that your little assassin doesn't live up to your expectations? I suppose it makes sense... since I've known she was behind me the minute I set foot in the copter."

Slade was moving before he'd even finished speaking. Ducking low he avoided the attempt to run him through with a katana before sweeping his leg around and knocking his assailant's own out from under them. A very feminine gasp of shock echoed through the flying transport as Slade then disarmed the would-be assassin and turned her blade on herself.

With his boot planted firmly on the woman's chest, and the sword poised at her throat, Slade peered down with his icy stare at his captive.

She was a short woman, probably no taller than 5'6, and dressed in an emerald-green kimono that reached her knees. The japanese ensemble was then met by fitted, knee-high boots. One of the kimono's sleeves was torn off as well, and revealed that the girls gloves were actually fitted gauntlets that seemed to meld well with her compacted, and toned frame. To top it off, she too wore a mask, with hers being the reason behind her handle as it was that of a white cat whose mouth was split into a wide, cheshire smile. Finally, behind the mask, was a head of full thick black hair with two bangs framing the girl's masked face.

From the cockpit Sportsmaster's voice carried back to the two martial artists; although his ire was only directed at the downed girl.

"Cheshire what did I tell you; Slade isn't our enemy. And from what I recall, I specifically ordered you to delay this ridiculous habit of yours where you test our employer!"

Down on under her target's boot Cheshire's salacious grin could be heard in her retort. "You did, Sportsmaster, but you'll have to forgive me; it's not everyday I get the chance to test myself against the fabled _Deathstroke_."

Hearing his nickname pass through the lips of a girl Slade knew couldn't be older than nineteen caused a hidden brow to rise in amusement. "So you've heard of me, and still had the gall to attempt an attack? I must say you're a true testament to the _foolishness_ of your generation Miss Cheshire. And just so we're clear, _you_ work for _me_ ; you are an instrument to be used to bring about the end of the Teen Titans and nothing more. You would do well to keep that in mind."

With his piece said Slade lifted his foot off of the young assassin and dropped her katana to the floor. Turning his attention back to the blonde flying his helicopter, the armored villain questioned about the rest of his invitations.

"They're all present and accounted for Slade; I made sure of it just before coming to pick you up. Once we get back to base you'll be able to brief them on the next step of the plan without any sort of delay...although why you wish to ally yourself with some of them I have no clue."

Letting his shoulder rest against the wall of his flying transport, the man known as Deathstroke gave his answer. "Of course you don't; your circle consists of your sons and children. I wouldn't expect you to understand the nuances of strategically scouting business partners." Slade could see the way Sportsmaster's shoulders tensed at the jab at the second jab to his intelligence, but continued with his explanation as if it meant nothing. "Those you will be working with all have a very particular skill, or set of skills, that I've found will play key roles in bringing Jump city to its knees."

It was clear from the way Sportsmaster scoffed that there was at least one member of their new alliance that he felt had _nothing_ to offer in Slade's master plan, however the burly former athlete held his tongue on the matter and returned to focusing on actually reaching their new base of operation.

In the ensuing silence Cheshire, who had long since risen and dusted herself off, posed her own question to the masked mercenary legend. "So why did you wait till now in deciding to tear down this particular city Deathstroke? From what I've heard about you, once you set your sights on a target they don't last very long regardless of if its one man or a whole government. What's so special about Jump and these Teen Titans?"

"Last time I checked my business was just that Cheshire; so I would advise you to keep your nose out of my personal affairs. And besides, with how much you'll be making once all of this is over, I figure my past would be the farthest thing from your mind."

"And it would be," Cheshire countered. "Except I just find it puzzling; you managed to defeat me so easily, surely a group of thumb-suckers shouldn't pose that much of a problem?"

The look Slade sent her way after that had the former member of the League of Shadows averting her eyes; she could tell his next words would be humbling. "They do when their leader has been trained by _Batman_ , and among their ranks is the daughter of _Trigon the Terrible_. Add to that trying to conceal your presence so as to not draw the attention of the aforementioned caped crusader and you tell me, just how would _you_ have handled it Miss Cheshire?"

"I suppose, in light of such factors, there isn't really anything else I would have done differently Deathstroke-"

"Taskmaster." Slade cut her off. "From this moment on you, and everyone else who will be acting under my employ, will openly refer to me as 'Taskmaster' when out in the field. This will help further confuse the Titans as I will continue to act as if all incoming assaults on the city are unconnected; do you understand?"

Cheshire could only offer a nod as she gave her answer. "Yes, Taskmaster, I understand."

"I certainly hop so my dear, because you've reached the end of my patience with your questioning, and would do well to keep your mouth closed from this point on unless I address you directly. Anymore insubordination, and I may run out of money to fund your little... _experiment_."

The masked madman's poorly veiled threat did the trick, and Cheshire's once haughty body language immediately sagged. This pleased Slade to no end, and that despicable sense of glee only intensified when he noticed, from his peripheral vision, that Sportsmaster's body had tensed again at understanding exactly what the mercenary was alluding to.

It was good to be in charge.

The rest of the copter ride was taken in uneasy silence. From the pilot seat Sportsmaster found himself fidgeting often, constantly checking meters and the map layout on the screen in front of him. Cheshire had moved to sitting down on one of the comfortably cushioned seats provided in the rear of the helicopter. However the oriental girl's distress was easily noticeable with the way she dropped into the bench coupled with the way her head hung in defeated thought.

The only one not radiating waves of discomfort was Slade himself, who was instead leaning fully against the wall wit his single blue eye closed. Whether he was sleeping or meditating neither of the other two occupants could tell, and yet whichever it was, they did not fail to notice that their employer still gave off an air of silent danger; like a lion waiting in the tall grass to strike.

So it came as no surprise to the blonde pilot when Slade's icy stare met his own brown eyes when he turned to announce that they'd finally arrived.

Slade stepped away from his perch and moved to look out the wide bullet-proof glass that made up the cockpit window, to take in the sight of his new headquarters. In true definition it was a fortress. The base was made up of a web of connected steel buildings plated with armored segments; each long, rectangular construct being connected by concrete walkways that were protected from the now light rain shower by their own sections of aluminum awnings. In the center of this web was the primary operations lab; its importance made noticeable by its change in design. The main building, instead of being a square or rectangle, was a heavy-duty pyramid.

Surrounding the headquarters was an impenetrable-looking wall made from, what only Slade knew to be, Depleted promethium that had been infused with both titanium as well as vanadium. This combination, which heavily matched that of his own armor, ensured Slade that his fortress would be safe from anything the military may wind up throwing at it. Along the expanse of this wall stood watchtowers, their spearheaded design set to look imposing to any who reached the island where the headquarters was located.

All together Slade could not be more impressed with what his money had bought; and that wasn't including weapon defenses.

It was as they were landing that more of the mercenary's money took form, only this time in the shape of hired guards. The men and woman that swarmed the descending copter were all former members of a group known as The Iron Guard; a secret military force founded in Central America. They had been disbanded after a disastrous run in with Superman, but its members could easily be found floating around the criminal underworld looking for any chance to pick up a gun, so long as the price was right.

Once the mercenaries saw just who it was stepping out of the now landed aircraft the barrels of their rifles immediately dropped to point at the ground, and their bodies snapped to salute.

Exiting the copter right behind Slade, Cheshire whistled at the sheer number of manpower her new employer was capable of amassing. _'I suppose Sportsmaster wasn't kidding when he said this job was the real deal.'_

Sportsmaster himself wasn't far behind the two assassins, and joined them on the ground after shutting down the chopper. From there it was another round of silence as they piled into a jeep and were driven through the trail that lead to Slade's new headquarters.

Cheshire found she was too busy trying to take in the expanse of forest that made up each side of their trek to attempt conversation. The vegetation was so thick, the young oriental woman could barely make out the moving guards as they paraded the grounds. Even with her extensive training from her time with the League, Cheshire felt she would still be hard pressed to slip past so many armed men and women unnoticed.

 _'And even if I managed that, with who I know is on the other side of that wall, I seriously doubt I'd be coming out alive.'_

The defensive fortification that Slade had constructed around his base stood tall and strong; its imposing height looking to have no flaw in its design. With the storm having broken during their flight, the moon had since made an appearance from its hiding place among the clouds. That silver light shone down on the wall's metal surface, and gave it a hauntingly other-worldly quality to it that caused goosebumps to raise along Cheshire's arms.

It was with hardly a sound that they were granted access to what lay beyond that wall, and both the oriental girl and her blonde associate saw their new operation center up close for the first time. Each building was indeed connected through an arched walkway, but what you couldn't see from the sky was that there were cameras and retina scanners posted at every visible entrance; which both Sportsmaster and his young charge took to mean the same thing applied to _every_ door. Another feature was that wasn't as surprising was that the security inside the wall was just as well mounted as on the other side; there were guards patrolling in groups of four or five along every single building the jeep passed.

"You think you hired enough men, Taskmaster?" Sportsmaster questioned with an air of both disbelief as well as a hint of mockery. The disbelief came in wondering just how Slade managed to afford his own personal army along with such a menacing new headquarters. Where did he get the money?

"They are here purely as a deterrent to any foolish ideas the military may have about trying to come in and shut us down; a precaution, as one can never be too careful. And if you're wondering about when we no doubt come to blows with some of our old friends, well, that's what your new friends are for."

This response concluded any more conversation in the jeep, as they had reached their intended destination. Once the three of them exited the motor vehicle and Slade gave the driver permission to leave, he lead Sportsmaster and Cheshire up to the entrance of the heavily guarded pyramid and opening the door after having his single, ice-cold eye scanned.

"You'll both need to report to the security wing once this meeting is over so they can program your I.D.'s; there will of course be places you aren't permitted, but for the most part the base will be open to you."

Something the armored assassin said struck a chord with Cheshire, and she found herself unable to hold back her question. "Restricted access? What is this, hiding things from us already?"

Slade's response was quick, with no amount of hesitation or remorse. "Of course."

Then, seeing the way his newest employee's shoulders squared at his answer, the legendary mercenaries decided to cut her off before she could even attempt to argue. "We are not a team, Cheshire, you and everyone you're about to meet _work_ for _me_. That means that, while in the end you'll all be compensated well for your parts in my plan, none of you are going to know just what it is I've planned until the very end...and that's if all of you make it that far. I have already promised each of you the thing you want most when everything is said and done, which I believe is more than a fair enough trade to stave off any whining about my desire for discretion."

By this point the trio had stopped walking, and instead stood in the middle of a very unassuming hallway that looked as if it were made of simple concrete with a hard floor. Slade didn't turn around. Instead, his masked face looked over his armored shoulder, and down at the lithe Japanese girl. His lone eye pierced through to the girl's core and held her in place; Cheshire soon found herself unable to breath.

And then he spoke.

"Unless of course, you have a problem with that?"

Cheshire's tongue felt heavy, like lead in her mouth as she made an effort to keep eye contact with Slade. Ultimately the younger assassin failed and she turned her gaze away in an attempt to escape the frightening power of Deathstroke's gaze. Her response was rough and came as a raspy whisper, like she hadn't used her voice in months.

"No, Taskmaster."

Slade turned his head back around and the spell was broken. "Good to know." And then he continued walking, not bothering to check for them following.

It was the touch of Sportsmaster's heavy hand on her shoulder that finally shook Cheshire from the depths of her own fear. Turning her head sharply, the female assassin's masked face stared into that of the older man, their eyes locking as she made an effort to swallow the lump in her throat.

From the moment she'd become a member of the League of Assassin's Cheshire had idolized the man known as Deathstroke, who while considered a disgrace for his betrayal was still regarded as a warrior worthy of inheriting the title of Demon's Head. Through her years of intense training the thought of one day his equal had been one of the main driving forces behind her strict devotion to training; that thought of one day working beside the legendary mercenary being what propelled her high within the ranks of the brotherhood.

But now? Such feelings felt as if they were part of a dream as all the young woman's imagined beliefs of who Slade Wilson was, and what it would feel like to simply be in his presence, quickly turned to ash in Cheshire's mind. _Never_ had the oriental assassin encountered someone so... _inhuman_ , so shut off from the spectrum of emotion that the only thing left behind was a soul-less machine. Yes the man knew anger, and a sick twisted form of joy, but beyond those Cheshire was beginning to believe that the warrior she had once looked upon as her inspiration wasn't really a man at all. In his place was a demon the likes of which she had never known.

"Cheshire," Sportsmaster finally seized her attention. "We need to hurry up, before he thinks we're not coming. This alliance is important, you know that, and we can't afford to anger Slade anymore than we already have. I tried to come in alone but he wouldn't have it; he wants both of us, or the deals off. So I'm telling you now that you'd better pull it together, because you know just as well as I do what's at stake."

With his piece finished, Sportsmaster roughly gripped the masked girl's shoulder and hauled her forward. The duo were able to recover ground quickly this way, and were soon standing with Slade at what they assumed was the entrance to the meeting hall.

Before he leaned forward to have his eye scanned, the armor-clad mercenary spoke one last time to his followers; once again keeping his back to them. "Before we go in and get the two of you introduced I think it's best that I say this now; from this point on my word is _law_. Once we walk through this door I don't want to hear another question or complaint about the way I run the operation. I did choose both of you because of your talents, yes, but I want you two to know that I can just as easily _build_ replacements for both of you. You are not expendable, so I suggest you remember that."

It was as he finished speaking that Slade went to open the door, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking back with his one eye the mercenary locked gazes with Sportsmaster's own muddy-brown orbs.

"You keep talking like that Slade and you won't have to tell us to leave, we'll just show ourselves out. I just want you to remember one thing; I go, my _sons_ come with me. And last time I checked you _don't_ have a way to copy them."

It was a chilling mockery that gleamed in Slade's eye as he replied. "Not yet, anyway. Now if your done with the threats I'd like to get the meeting started, as we all have a lot to discuss."

This time Slade's move to open the door went uninterrupted, and both Cheshire and Sportsmaster watched as the security door slid open with a hiss. For the masked girl what she saw when it did made her realize that her time at the kid's table was over, she was officially in the major leagues.

There were six others besides Sportsmaster, herself and Slade. Each of them she recognized. And while some weren't as well-known on a global level, those that _were_ more than made up the difference.

Her eyes first fell on the man who was clearly the oldest of their new group; Brother Blood. The man stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back as his dark cloak hung from his broad shoulders. His body well built from centuries of hard-fought battles and intense training, while his cold gray eyes were further made menacing by the dark shadow brought on by the room's dim lighting. His face showed no sign of his true age, and Blood's skin was a rich bronze color that went well with his sharp features. The cult leader's hair was cut close to his scalp as well, with a sharp edge outlining his hairline. All in all Sebastian Blood cut a dignified, imposing figure.

And yet even he paled in comparison to the six foot tall mountain of muscle that stood beside him. There was only a few inches in difference between the two, but it clearly showed in the way Bane held himself.

Like Deathstroke, Cheshire had heard a great many things about Bane during her time with the League of Assassins. Paramount among them being his equally disgraced _excommunication_ for falling in love with the daughter of the Demon's head. And yet, the man standing before her showed no trace of shame...only raw power and cunning. Bane's sturdy chest was hidden behind a military grade, armored vest while his bulging muscles strained against the fabric of a brown trenchcoat that had a wide collar. His powerful legs were clothed in dark combat pants, complete with knee-pads, while on his feet were a pair of hefty combat boots. Cheshire could easily see the finger-less gloves that clothed Bane's large hands as one came out of his pocket to run itself across his bald head. This lead her to take in the man's mask.

Cheshire knew Bane was legendary for his strength through the use of the toxin _Venom_ , but had only heard stories of how he managed the intake during battle. There were rumors of tubes feeding them into his bloodstream, but even the oriental girl knew that such a thing could easily be countered by any object sharp enough to cut just a single line. _'Which means he must inhale it through that mask.'_ She deduced while looking into the villain's dark, brown eyes. The female assassin shuddered at the expressive nature of those gleaming orbs, as they watched her like a lion would its prey. It was truly unsettling.

By comparison the svelte, lean body of the masked boy with his feet on the room's lone desk looked almost laughable. But Cheshire knew better. Leaning lazily in one of the chairs provided for Slade's guests was Red-X; master thief and rising criminal star. The teenage menace peered over at the newcomers, his skull mask keeping any of them from seeing what he thought of the newest additions to the team. Looking at Jump City's newest villain, Cheshire had to wonder just what qualified him to a seat at such a dangerous table...but then recalled that he'd managed to steal his suit from Titan's Tower without getting caught. _'And even matched Robin blow-for-blow if the stories are true.'_

Red-X wasn't the only interesting character seated though. Cheshire couldn't keep her eyes from widening at seeing the _giant crocodile_ hunched over with his fingers steepled in front of his snout. Of all the villains across the world, Cheshire was not expecting Killer Croc to be a part of the upcoming meeting. Dressed solely in a sleeveless black vest, the man once known as Waylon Jones made for a horrifying figure with his scaly skin and rows of razor-sharp teeth. And while rumor had it Croc's body was like a walking tank, Cheshire easily made out a viscous, jagged scar that that ran down his left eye. The villain's thick, heavy tail lumbered against the concrete floor but Cheshire had no doubt it could strike as fast as any serpent should Killer Croc feel threatened or angry.

Seated to Croc's right, on the other end of the table, was a tall wiry man that Cheshire recognized as the Scarecrow. His state of dress was a bit unconventional for a villain, seeing as he was dressed in a dark button-down shirt and slacks with a wide-brimmed, pointed hat. Because of this, so unlike the news reports she'd seen of him, the man sitting in front of her didn't look threatening at all...until he turned his eyes on her. Shivers raced up and down the asian girl's spine at the sheer madness found in Dr. Crane's hazel orbs; the patchy, burlap sack he wore as a mask doing nothing to hide just how insane the psychological chemist really was.

Turning her eyes away quickly, the anxious assassin took in the last and least imposing of their group.

Dressed in a skintight, black body armor with a tattered trenchcoat pulled over the top Cheshire let her eyes move from these features to examine the man's face. Where most villains use masks to hide their identity, Hush preferred to use medical bandages to disguise the man underneath. On top of that, the female martial artist could make out the hand-guns strapped to his waist emphasizing his use of lethal force.

It was just as she was finishing up taking in all the new faces that Cheshire heard a smooth, Cajun accent draw her attention.

"I suggest you quit your starin' girl, lest Killer Croc has to come over there and rip your eyes out. This ain't no sideshow; those days are long over."

The guttural growl that followed the threat had Cheshire's gaze turning back to Killer Croc, his slit yellow eyes tense with warning. However before the girl could verbally defend herself Slade stepped full forward and took control of the situation.

"Now Waylon, there's no need for violence among business partners. The poor girl is just a little overwhelmed is all; she's never been in a room with so many powerful people before."

"Then perhaps she would be better suited to join Jinx and the others...in the _other_ room Slade." Brother Blood offered. Then, turning to look at the lounging Red-X he added, "She can take your new little friend with her too. You just said so yourself that this meeting is between men of greatness; children have no place here."

Hearing the dismissive tone in Blood's voice set Cheshire's blood to boil. Who did that man think he was talking too? She had taken more lives than any other warrior her age, and was held in only the highest regard among the League! But before she could bring this knowledge to light, Slade once again cut her off.

" _Children_ , no, which is why I asked your little group to busy themselves while we spoke. Both Cheshire and Red-X however have both shown themselves to be competent as well as reliable; something we both know your so called students have not."

It was easy to see the tension building in Blood's shoulders as he took the insult personally; as if to say his teaching methods were in question. However the centuries-old cult leader was halted in his rebuttal by Scarecrow.

"Gentlemen please, the invitation I was given said we were here to plan for the destruction of Jump City, not each other. So seeing as we are all present and accounted for, how about we get this meeting started?"

There was a short staring contest between Brother Blood and Slade before the former relented and went to take his seat. Smiling under his mask in satisfaction, the armored mercenary motioned for his last two guests to do the same before walking over himself to stand before the seated villains. Folding his hands behind his back, Slade spoke.

"Now then, I'd like to begin by saying welcome...to project Uprising.

 _ **xXx**_

As Cheshire was having her own meeting, the Titans were each having one of their own as they each secluded themselves away inside Titan's Tower.

Those that were still conscious anyway.

The return trip was quick do to Raven using the last of her energy to transport them, but in doing so Beast Boy and Robin were forced to have their respective wounds treated the old fashioned way while the vehicles were left at the pier. And while the green changeling was cleared to move about the tower, the Titan leader was still laying in bed unconscious.

After being transported back to their home, both Raven and Starfire were quick in their moving the two kayoed boys into the medical wing of the tower while Cyborg hauled himself to his room in order to begin his own repairs. Once the girls had settled their team-mate's into beds Raven found that, were it not for her needing to stay calm for the hysterical Starfire, her hands would have been shaking too bad for her to tend to Robin.

Robin's body was littered with gashes and bruises that caused the sorceress to pause a moment in abject horror. Never had she seen someone so battered. Even during her leader's stint of hallucinating Slade's return the Boy Wonder hadn't suffered such injuries as he had that night. Her slender fingers worked tenderly to peel Robin's tattered uniform from his body, and reveal the marred flesh underneath. Moving swift but silently Raven retrieved a washcloth and a basin of water, with which she used to gently clean away the blood and grime from the masked teen's mangled body.

As she worked Raven also gave quiet instructions to Starfire as the alien princess was given the responsibility to treat Beast Boy's wounds. However, it was because her own violet gems were so focused on the unconscious form of Robin that the pale half-demon didn't catch the numerous, uneasy looks sent her way by Starfire's own emerald orbs.

It was a gruelingly slow process, but Raven finally managed to wash away the layers of blood and filth from her leader's bedridden body. What this cleansing revealed however caused the empath's stomach to drop.

Scars. Tarnished streaks of flesh ran across every plain of Robin's teenage form; there was at least one on every limb, and multiple that overlapped across his chest and sides. Some were pale and aged while others were thick from keloid. Even the older boy's knuckles were laced with signs of torn flesh, although these were made less noticeable by the the rough texture of his swollen knuckles. Before Raven's eyes she took in the hero career of her friend and fellow Titan through these scars; and this was without seeing his back. Years of battling villains and stopping thugs were etched out across the toned, athletic body of Robin from remnants as razor thin as a paper-cut to the overlapped tissue signaling the entry of a bullet in trough the shoulder.

Everything that had forged Robin into the young man she now called her friend lay bare before Raven's unblinking eyes, and it wasn't until Starfire's voice, nasally from her still broken nose, drifted through the ambient noise of heart monitors that the goth finally remembered where she was.

"Raven, you have been stopped for a very long time, is something the matter with Robin?"

Starfire's fear drenched her words as she questioned the only other female Titan. The red-head's feelings for her leader made her hands itch to be the one taking care of him, but Star understood that her minimal knowledge in the art of healing would only further impede Robin's return to consciousness. And while she was able to assuage her cracked heart's worry with the notion Raven would do everything in her power to save the masked teen, at the moment all she could see was that very same girl standing still and _staring_ at Robin as if it were the first time she'd seen him. This brought her worst fears rushing to the forefront of her mind, and had her lips parting to ask a question she desperately needed an answer to.

Raven's response, although delayed by her jump of surprise and weighted with hesitant words, did manage to push those fears back though.

"N-No Star, Robin's...Robin's fine." As she went to elaborate, Raven retrieved the stitching kit from its place in the cabinet and began disinfecting Robin's many wounds. "Like Cyborg he got the worst of it, but thanks to his cape there wasn't any intense damage to his internal organs; he must have managed to pull it up just in time to keep his body from suffering the blast's first impact. But like I said he _is_ hurt, and some of his ribs did break from the force of the explosion, but that seems to be the only broken bones he suffered. There's some heavy bruising, and a number of burns where his uniform doesn't cover, but Robin's gonna make it; he's going to live."

Hearing this caused Starfire to sigh in great relief before asking her next question. "Raven, I am...concerned; how was Slade capable of matching my strength? I-I have never seen him do that before."

Keeping focused on stitching together a wound along Robin's side, Raven recalled something Slade had said back on the yacht. "Before you and Beast Boy arrived Slade caught Robin and I off-guard with a surprise attack; he even managed to pin Robin to the ground. I was still recovering from when he kicked me, but I still heard him talking. Slade's been holding back Starfire; he has been the whole time."

This news did not sit well with the Tamaranean girl. As she finished cleaning and disinfecting her own charge's wounds, the pretty young alien's face molded itself into a look of worry. For a little over a year the team had stood between Slade and the destruction of Jump; managing to even stop the end of the world when the masked monster allied himself with Trigon's demonic power. And in all that time Starfire watched as her leader, the boy she loved, drive himself to near insanity in an effort to single-handedly put Slade behind bars. She had seen him enter the team's gym and spend hours alone, coming out only for food, or leafing through case files till his fingers ached in an effort to find a pattern in his nemesis's behavior.

And then there was Robin's ordeal with the toxin found on Slade's old mask. That few days had been the most painful of Starfire's life, seeing the handsome masked hero spiral into such a dark place that the girl didn't even recognize him anymore. _Never_ had Starfire imagined Robin to be capable of such dark looks, or hurtful words as when he'd yelled at her. Yet despite all of these things Starfire never gave up hope that her fearless leader would one day close the gap between Slade and himself; he was already so close. Only to now find out it was a lie.

Slade was stronger than her, as brilliant as Raven, as resourceful as Cyborg and as adaptable as Beast Boy. And now he was even more skilled than Robin.

Starfire's heart dropped at the thought of Robin going up against Slade again, especially alone, now that the madman had revealed himself to be far more than the Teen Titans could ever hope to handle. Looking up from where she was tending to Beast Boy's wounded head, Starfire managed another question. "If he is truly so powerful, Raven, then what will we do? Slade defeated each of us, even Robin, should we not attempt to find help in dealing with him in the future?"

The mystic in question hand just sown shut a nasty looking cut along Robin's hip when her female team-mate's question reached her. Sighing in resignation, the goth put down her tools and gave Starfire her full attention.

"Personally, I don't know Starfire. Robin may have placed me as second-in-command but that's more for if something happens out in the field; I'd rather wait until Robin wakes up before exploring the team's future."

With that Raven went back to doing what she could to tend the previously mentioned teen's wounds. However, her own mind found itself stuck on that very same question she'd just been asked.

What would the Teen Titans do, now that their greatest enemy was too strong for them? _'And more importantly,'_ Raven thought with a grief-stricken lookaimed at her unconscious leader. _'What will_ _ **Robin**_ _do?'_

The answer to Raven's question wouldn't come for another few days, as Robin didn't regain consciousness until the end of the week. And even then, the Boy Wonder ordered Raven to only mend his ribs, crediting the decision by saying he didn't want her wasting anymore energy than necessary in case their was trouble in the city.

"But what about you, man?" Cyborg questioned. The cybernetic crime fighter had taken two whole days to tend to his repairs, but was walking through the common room door fully functional the morning of the third. "With those stitches there's no way you're really gonna be able to go out their and fight the way you do without tearing them all to pieces."

Robin's answer shocked the rest of the Titans.

"Then it's a good thing I won't be going out there, isn't it Cyborg?"

It was Beast Boy who broke the short silence that followed. "Dude! What do you mean you're not gonna fight!? Was Raven wrong and you actually got a concussion, because the Robin I know would never say that!"

"I didn't say I was giving up, Beast Boy." The masked leader chuckled. "I just think it'd be best to let these wounds heal on their own, rather than tire Raven out. It'll only be for a few more days anyway; and I'm sure Raven can handle taking over that long. The team will be fine."

Starfire, her eyes full of worry, stepped closer to Robin's bed and placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. Emerald-green met the whites of a domino mask, and Starfire did everything she could to make her feelings known with that one look. "It pains me to see you so damaged Robin, won't you reconsider your decision, and allow friend Raven to heal your wounds?"

The shake of Robin's head in the negative caused the pretty alien's heart to drop. "That would be selfish Star; Raven is just as important to the team as me. For me to ask her to weaken herself just so I can get better isn't right."

"But Robin-"

"Starfire." Raven cut off the only other female on the team. "Robin is still our leader, and he's made his decision. Like he said, it's only for a few more days, and I'll just be giving orders out in the field so when we're home nothing will be different. What's wrong with that?"

The Tamaranean turned her eyes to the floor in shame, knowing that her answer would sound silly. Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer when Beast Boy seemed to read her mind and spoke for her.

"Because it just won't be the same out there without him."

 _ **xXx**_

Stars dotted the night sky now, and all the lights were off in the tower. A place usually charged with life and zeal, it would seem odd that the home of a super hero team made up of teenagers could be so quiet. And yet such was the case as all but the leader of the Teen Titans were sound asleep in their beds.

For Robin though the bliss of dreams would not come. Instead when the masked teen closed his eyes, he was met with nightmares. No matter what he tried, what meditation technique he used, Robin found that his mind refused to push Slade's words to the back of his head; leading to varying degrees of mental horror. So many times the two of them fought, and now Robin shuddered at the realization that during each encounter the masked man could have broken him in two with ease.

It was as infuriating as it was dispiriting.

And so, it was in true Robin fashion that the Titan leader hauled himself out of bed and hobbled his way through the halls of his tower. Passing the gym, and the evidence room, Robin reached the elevator where he promptly entered his personal code into the floor panel. Where he was going, no one but he had access to.

 _'Or at least, that was the plan.'_ Robin growled to himself as the doors slid open again, revealing a dimly lit room that held only two aspects of note.

One was a large, titanium-steel vault door...that was left wide open. However this was because what was inside was already missing. The Red-X suit. Robin had stashed it away in his personal trove, the suit itself never to be used again, because it was too painful a memory to recall. The looks of betrayal on the team's face, on _Raven's_ face, had been punishment enough for his misguided attempt at stopping Slade. To know that he had hurt Raven, someone whose trust was so difficult to earn yet so easy to shatter, forced Robin to hide himself away for days until Starfire had come to see him.

But now the suit was gone. Stolen, and being worn by who-knows-who to help him steal and plunder the innocent citizens of Jump. The very thought made Robin's blood boil.

That anger only tripled when the Boy Wonder's masked gaze drifted over to the _other_ suit that had been hidden away.

His apprentice suit.

Robin had come home in the orange-and-black ensemble and swiftly tore it from his body when Raven offered him one of his brightly-colored uniforms, but what he never let any of the team know was that he _kept_ the suit. And once he studied the uniform, the former side-kick couldn't help but be glad that he did.

The bodysuit itself was a kevlar bi-weave, Kevlar-AP to be exact, woven together with high-grade nomex elements which explained why it came out unscathed after each of his battles with the team. It was tougher than both his Robin, and even his Red-X suit. And that was _before_ the junior detective got a look at the armor plates. Unlike most armor which was made up of simple amalgamations of steel or titanium, Robin found that the plates Slade used in his apprentice uniform were a weave of steel, graphene _,_ and most unusual of all...an engineered replica of _spiderweb_.

Having studied under Bruce Robin knew of the great tensile strength, and even elasticity, of spiderwebs but never had the young hero thought to use it for armor. And yet it worked. Granted it wasn't real webbing, instead the weave was a man-made production meant to heavily mimic the original substance.

Looking over this suit the first time was the moment Robin realized that Slade had to have at least as much money as Bruce, and at least an equal level of brilliance in order to think and pay to have such a uniform crafted. And now all that money and effort was going to be put to better use. Memories flooded Robin's mind as he stepped closer to the glass case that housed his apprentice uniform...just as Bruce had done with the Batsuit.

 _Flashback-_

 _The air of the cave was always chilled, and the drips of falling water droplets was often one of the only sounds to echo along the dark walls; that, or the sound of Bruce's keystrokes when he worked on the computer. Such sounds mingled into white noise as Dick made his way down the steps and into the center of the Batcave. Sapphire-blue eyes surveyed the many trophies that had been collected over the years Batman had been active, each one carefully cataloged and encased in Plexiglas._

 _'But don't call them trophies.' Dick snickered to himself. 'Their 'evidence', not trinkets to be admired.'_

" _Dick, I thought you said you were going to watch Barb's gymnastics tournament, what are you still doing here?"_

 _Always astounded by his mentor's surreal sense of hearing, the ten year old in question turned his eyes away from the original freeze gun and over to the powerfully-built man seated a few feet from him. Bruce was still dressed in the suit that marked him as the Batman, a testament to his devotion to his work, as he looked through information on a case they'd been handed the night before. Looking from the man himself, to the images on the large screen, Dick quickly recognized the sophisticated visage of Ra's Al Ghul._

 _Instead of answering his adoptive father's question Dick found himself asking one of his own. "Whatdya think he's planning this time?"_

 _Raising a skeptical brow at having the subject changed so suddenly, but eager to feed his side-kick's sudden interest in the mission, Bruce turned back to his keyboard and typed in a few more commands to bring up the photos his Batwave had sent him. "From what I can see, his next plan is the unleashing of a genetically-engineered virus. How he intends to use it I'm not sure, since I don't know just what it is he's trying to buy, but whatever it is won't be good for whoever his latest target is."_

" _Funny how it's never Gotham though, when you think about it." Dick, who had moved closer, added in before turning to give the man seated next to him a look of his own. "Why is that?"_

" _Because the last two times he failed. The first time, unknowingly, by my father and the second by me. He was the first true threat to Gotham I stopped after becoming Batman; it had been a joint effort between he and Scarecrow."_

 _Dick hadn't even been a thought in his parents minds back then, but the former circus performer vaguely recalled reading an article during his tenure as a fanboy of how Batman had saved the city from literally tearing itself apart in radical fear. And yet, knowing what he did about his mentor, Dick couldn't help but ask his next question. "But if Ra's was **your** mentor why do you two fight? Why aren't you guys on the same side?"_

" _Because his idea of 'true justice' involves wiping out whole civilizations; laying to waste thousands of lives. And he doesn't even bat an eye. I learned this lesson quickly, the day I was set to join the League, but once I realized they wanted me to march the men into Gotham and essentially gut the city I chose instead to blow up their temple and come home. It horribly ironic now that I remember it, but my decision to become Batman was heavily influenced by something Ra's once said to me during my training."_

" _Something a madman said inspired you to become Batman?" Dick wondered with incredulity._

 _Before he answered Bruce stood from his chair, and began to move towards the stairs which lead to where the Bat-family kept their uniforms._

" _When I was locked in my cell, hundreds of thousands of miles from Gotham, he wasn't a madman then. Just a man in a nice suit, who worked for the League of **shadows** and not **assassin's**. But there was a wisdom in his words that I'd never heard before, a truth that I'd been searching for but never able to find. It was that man who pointed me in the right direction; the Ra's Al Ghul from beforethe Lazarus Pit."_

" _Soo~ what did he say?" Dick finally asked after his mentor took to a moment of silence._

" _He told me to become a legend."_

 _Sapphire-blue eyes crinkled in an effort to understand that response, but at only ten even the Boy Wonder found himself stumped. "Okay~, but what's that have to do with you becoming Batman?"_

" _Ra's told me that, in order to truly achieve my goal I had to be more than just a vigilante. Those men and women are just those lost in the scramble for their own gratification; they did not seek justice, but revenge. He told me that I had to truly devote myself to an ideal, to make myself **more** than just a man..."_

 _-Flashback end_

"...to make myself a symbol. A legend." Robin whispered to himself as he brought himself back to the present. And it was as he stared at the apprentice suit, his gloved hand rested against the cool glass, that Robin came to a decision.

If 'Robin' couldn't defeat Slade, and save Jump City, then he couldn't be 'Robin' anymore.

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N: And there's chapter two. I changed a number of things this time around, from certain character's designs to just the general pace of the chapter over all from the original. I relatively enjoyed typing this one up, even if there isn't really any action in it because I felt it was really important to get past this chapter.**_

 _ **I did indeed remove certain characters from Slade's team that I had in the original story, and added Bane and Red-X, but that was because I wanted a more mainstream cast with large enough levels of threat that the Titans would find themselves having trouble with.**_

 _ **I changed Brother Blood's design to that of how he looked in the animated movie 'Judas Contract' because I personally never liked the way he looked in Teen Titans; he just never looked like a real threat, even when he** was **being dangerous.**_

 _ **The same general concept was applied to Bane; he's my favorite villain after Deathstroke. However after watching TDKR, I was honestly captivated by Tom Hardy's portrayal of the character and Nolan's genius concept for it. However, true to the source material he does still use Venom...just in a different way. I know breathing it in rather than directly injecting it into his bloodstream isn't as effective, but oh well.**_

 _ **Yes, I have incorporated Batman Begins into the story's timeline, but that's because as I'm sure you've noticed I absolutely love the trilogy. However, when it comes to character models, I'd say to imagine Bruce from the new line of DC animated films while Ra's looks more like the concept from the original animated series.**_

 _ **As for why Cheshire knew so much about each villain at the meeting; she was part of the League of Assassin's. It's their job to know things, and the more of a name you make for yourself, the more the league will know about you.**_

 _ **If I haven't addressed something here let me know and I'll answer it for you in a PM. But for now, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and are ready for the action coming in chapter three.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**More Than Just A Man**_

 _ **Ch. 3- A new day, a new enemy, a renewed resolve**_

 _ **xXx**_

It was a somber, subdued sort of air that filled Titan Tower days after their latest battle with their greatest enemy. Slade had easily, effortlessly beaten each and every Teen Titan without breaking a sweat right before revealing that, in the whole year they'd been chasing him, the man had been going _easy_ on them. Toying with them; as if they were nothing but insects, or worse, snot-nosed _kids_. The truth, for it could be nothing but after that encounter, cut each of the young heroes deep and had some even wondering if they were truly capable of handling such a task as bringing the masked madman to justice; if they were really able to continue being a hero.

The main bearer of this darkening thought being Jump City's resident changeling; Beast Boy.

The youngest Titan, and as such the shortest, could be found sitting alone in the quiet of his room. His boyish face devoid of its usual wide smile, or playful smirk. In its place was a mask of pain that pulled his lips down into a grimace as the green teen stared at his own gloved hands. Ten slim, lithe fingers clenched into fists for a moment before uncurling, only to repeat the action seconds later. Those hands, while small, Beast Boy knew could become powerful fists or deadly claws with merely a thought; he could become any animal in the world, extinct or living. Every fierce jungle cat, the most ferocious of wolves and bears, even the mightiest of dinosaurs...and it hadn't made a bit of difference in the face of Slade's overwhelming power!

"I couldn't even touch him." The fourteen-year-old hero whispered despairingly to himself, the raw pain in his voice choking the words as they came up his throat causing them to crackle and stutter in his pointed ears. "All this time, all my _training_ , and I couldn't land a single scratch."

Beast Boy dropped his face into the palms of his hands, filling two of his five senses with the scent and sensational feel of the cool leather. Unfortunately, having his large purple eyes closed only thrust the image of a beaten and battered Robin to the forefront of the changeling's mind. Robin, who had stood and assessed the well being of his team even after being rocked by the explosion of Slade's yacht. And while Beast Boy had been unconscious at the time he had certainly been told of the sight by Cyborg upon reawakening in their home's medical bay; informed of each and every bit of damage their leader had suffered to his non-super enhanced, _human_ body. And of how he had _still_ stood tall until after making sure everyone else was okay.

And even still, while Beast Boy could only image what sort of terrible damage had been done to the masked older boy, the stringy young hero had seen clear as crystal the numerous scars and bullet wounds Robin had suffered before becoming a Teen Titan. As an avid fanboy of the caped former sidekick Beast Boy knew of every great battle Robin had ever been a part of, collecting newspaper clippings dating back to his very first appearance against the Riddler and his goons once Beast Boy had been old enough to actually _do_ research. And yet, all the black-and-white print did was show off the Dynamic Duo's success, never the price both of them paid in order to achieve it.

But there it had been, laid out before Garfield Logan's very eyes. The price Robin payed to be a hero, the risks he took _willingly_ in order to make sure the innocence of the world never had to suffer at the hands of monsters like The Joker or Slade.

It was frightening to see, to look at just how many close calls there had truly been in Robin's life at only sixteen; and that was without knowing just how many of them took place during his earlier years, without nearly a decade of experience. How man times had there almost not been a Robin at the age of eight, or ten?

This thought frightened the part of Beast Boy that was still, truly human; the newly fourteen-year-old Garfield Logan. The _kid_ who loved video-games and pranks, the _boy_ who had just in the past year discovered girls and still visited his first love's statue to this very day. It frightened the _human_ within who feared dying before getting the chance to truly live.

And it was this fear that stuck with Beast Boy as the alarm blared red throughout the tower, and had him sprinting out to meet the other Titans in common room.

"What's the trouble?" The changeling questioned as he finally stepped into the meeting area and was met with the other three operative Titans. That fear from earlier welled in his chest at not seeing Robin among the group, but Beast Boy shoved it down so as to appear ready for the mission.

It was Raven who answered him, her amethyst orbs trained on the large screen that doubled as their television. "There's been a hit at a company known as Fox-Tech; at least four culprits from what the alarm's telling me. But that's not what's worrying me."

The slight hesitation in the gothic teen's words caught the attention of Cyborg who stood beside her, and knew her well enough to notice it. "What is it Rae, what's got you stumped?"

"It's the visual feed we're getting from their cameras...there's barely any. It's as if these crooks are ghosts with how easily they're avoiding the security systems; even most pros aren't _this_ good. We only know an estimated number because of a single guard managing to relay the warning before being knocked unconscious. It's just...not right."

The other three Titans looked at their temporary leader with serious stares. Because while Raven still had a ways to go in expressing her emotions, her defeat of Trigon had allowed the plum-haired girl to let through hints of her true feelings; and this time, it was clear Raven was worried. Not truly afraid, but the situation definitely bothered her,

"Then we will just need to be more careful, yes?" Starfire prodded gently, but with conviction. Even with her naivety, the red-headed alien understood the seriousness of the situation. After what had happened to Robin, it was clear to the other world princess that her best friend did not wish to see any more of their little family hurt. Starfire understood, because she felt the same way.

For Raven it was easy to see the shared feelings in her only female friend's emerald eyes, and this filled her with a sort of confirmation that allowed her to go ahead with ordering the team to move out. If Starfire was taking the mission seriously, she felt sure that everyone would stay more on guard this time around; no more surprises.

Or at least, that's what she had hoped.

Upon reaching the Jump City branch of Fox-Tech the Teen Titans were shocked by what awaited them there. Instead of four, there were five bodies...and they seemed to be _waiting_ for them. This brought back the worry that had taken root in Raven's stomach back at the tower, but the cloaked empath buried the emotion for later study and pulled forth her courage. Her team, her family, needed her focused!

And yet, upon landing and taking in just what was waiting for them, Raven couldn't help but let her mask of concentration slip a bit and furrow her elegant brow in confusion. However it wasn't her own voice that verbalized this disbelief, but Beast Boy's. Something Raven was silently grateful for, because the question just sounded so... _silly_.

"Dude, I thought Halloween was in October, what's with the funny turtle costumes?"

Indeed, four of the three thieves standing across the way from the Titans looked to be walking turtles wearing colored bandannas over their eyes like masks. One wore blue, another red, then there was purple and even orange. The four varied in size as well, with the one in red looking to be the largest in muscle mass while the orange clad individual seemed to be the smallest and resembled a more toned Beast Boy. However, the one Raven personally worried about was the one in blue, as his physique greatly mirrored that of Robin's own; and the half-breed sorceress easily recalled just how dangerous a body like that could be in the right hands. It didn't help that strapped to his back were a pair of wicked looking katana, or the annoyed crinkling of each 'turtle's' brow at Beast Boy's comment.

However it wasn't any of the four who answered, but the fifth and most normal looking member of the bunch. Standing taller than even Cyborg, with muscles that stretched the fabric of his compression t-shirt to fill out the armor he wore, the masked blonde only added to Raven's growing sense of worry. On top of this, the man was leaning against a military-grade Humvee that looked to house whatever it was the group was stealing.

"Now that's just rude boy, insulting my boys like that. I spent a fortune, and endless hours of experimenting to give birth to these four fine young men; so I think you'd better watch your mouth before I come over there and teach you a lesson."

This time Raven did speak, the disbelief and awe clear in her voice. "So then you four are actually..."

"Walking, talking turtles who know dangerous martial arts? You bet Miss Doom and Gloom." Smirked the turtle wearing the orange bandanna. Pointing one of his three fingers at his own plated chest, the mutated amphibian introduced himself. "The name's Michelangelo, but a cutie like you can just call me Mikey."

The talking turtle's attempt at flirting raised Raven's hackles a bit, the dark sorceress felt one of her elegant eyebrows tick for a moment and was thankful she'd kept her cloak's hood up so that it hid her discomfort. "No thanks," she rebuffed, "I have a rule about dating things people keep as _pets_."

"I'd watch it if I were you goth girl," called the human blonde. "My boys don't take too nicely to such insults, and from the looks of it you kids are missing your best man; wouldn't want you to get in over your head."

Being reminded of their lack of a leader caused the Titans to each tense at the thought, however it was not done from fear, but suspicion. Crime had been in a slump after their encounter with Slade, and it was easy to send out a single member of the team to patrol and act as a supplement for the J.C.P.D. So the question was: How did _this guy_ know about Robin?

However Cyborg was the first to shake it off and, bringing up his arm-cannon which he'd set to stun, told the five culprits to stand down. "Even with just the four of us, it'll definitely be more than enough to take you out, so I suggest you guys make it easy on yourselves and give up now."

The turtle garbed in the red bandanna let out a snort before settling his hands on the handles of his twin sai, the unusual weapon of choice having been tucked into the leather belt that was strapped around his waist. "I think you mean make it easy for _you_ , cause there ain't no way some bozos in poorly colored costumes stand a chance against _us_." He taunted in a gruff voice.

"Well actually Raphael," the turtle in the plum-colored bandanna chimed in, his voice was a little nasally. "Off the top of my head I'd say they've got about a ten percent chance at success; although that drops to less than one if father joins the fight too." This turtles weapon of choice was a long, wooden bo-staff that was wrapped in purple tape on both ends.

Raphael, as the one in red was revealed to be, growled low before barking at his brother. "Really Donnie, what have I told you a _thousand times_? Never tell me the odds; it ruins the effect I'm going for! Yo, Leo, I thought you talked to brains about his 'nerdy' talk out in the field!"

It was the turtle in blue, the only one left who hadn't spoken, that finally opened his mouth to retort. However both Raven and Cyborg noticed that he and the masked blonde had never taken their eyes off the Titans. "Raph's right Donnie; we need to be focused, no matter who the enemy is. Now, look sharp guys because it's time to get to work."

"Alright~!" Michelangelo hollered ecstatically, pulling out a pair of nunchuksand spinning them in excitement. "I call the little green-bean; I hear he can change into animals!" With that the smallest turtle seemed to vanish before the Titan's eyes. A moment later, Beast Boy let out a cry of pain before flying back through the air and being intercepted painfully by Mikey's knee.

Seeing this Raven reacted immediately. Her amethyst eyes narrowed fiercely before she called out, "Titans, go!" Sending both Cyborg as well as Starfire shooting forth to engage the remaining thieves alongside Raven.

Being the fastest of the three Starfire reached the target first, her arm cocked back and ready to deliver a knockout blow so as to end the battle quickly. However this plan was dashed as the turtle in the purple mask decided he would be the one to take her on, and swung at her with his bo-staff. Starfire's quick reflexes saved her from the initial smash attack, but her opponent used the momentum of his swing to continue his attack as a roundhouse-kick that the alien princess _couldn't_ dodge, and thus was slammed hard in the stomach by the heel of the talking turtle's three-toed foot.

And while the pain wasn't immense, the distraction proved to be devastating for Starfire as her enemy came at her again with his weapon raised, this time managing to score a blow against the Tamaranian girl's hip before twisted the staff around and drove it up into the red-headed heroine's chin. From there Starfire was slammed with a furious combo of punches and kicks so fast she couldn't keep up if she tried in her current state. It finally ended, when the turtle known as Donnie delivered a leaping double-kick that planted the soles of both feet firmly against Starfire's sternum and sent her shoot back like a comet, and into a video store window.

Cyborg noticed this out of the corner of his eye, but was unable to do anything about it as he had his own hands full dealing with the turtle known as Raphael. The burly amphibian was proving to be a dangerous foe even without using his sai. Cyborg found that he was barely managing to block the vicious jabs and haymakers that the red-clothed turtle threw at him; the thick, muscular arms moving so fast, that the cybernetic Titan couldn't even think to dodge. And then their was the other fighters form. Cyborg had some of the best fighting styles known to man downloaded into his systems, but he had no knowledge about the one he currently found himself up against, and each time the human-machine hybrid tried to turn the tables with a counter Raphael seemed to easily see through and break it. In a situation like this the eldest Titan wasn't too surprised when the rough-looking turtle finally managed to slip through his guard and land a powerful knee to the stomach.

"Gah!" Cyborg cried out as his imitation nervous system fired off messages of pain to the human half of his brain. Signals that were only amplified when Raphael followed his knee up with a spin-kick that sent Cyborg flying backwards, and landing hard on his metal back.

And while the newly downed Titan didn't see it, Starfire wasn't doing much better against the turtle known as Donnie. The walking, talking water creature had unleashed his bo-staff immediately and surprised the Tamaranian princess who was his opponent by using it to deflect her starbolts! It wasn't until she had one of her punches blocked that Starfire found out what looked like wood, was actually a durable metal made to _look_ like wood. However this knowledge did nothing to help keep the red-head from feeling the pain of having that staff whipped against her forearm as she blocked a strike meant for her head. From there Starfire made to grab the ranged weapon, but her opponent proved to have much faster reflexes, because it was back at Donnie's side before the girl could blink and being sent out again just as fast in such quick succession that Starfire soon found herself throwing up her arms to barricade against a swift barrage of strikes that began to leave behind ugly bruises against the girl's sunny orange skin.

"You really shouldn't keep your arms in the same position too long in a fight," Donnie chided matter-of-factly. "Because then it gives your opponent the chance to do _this_!" With that the purple-clothed turtle pulled back his weapon, and with startling accuracy managed to thrust it forward so as to slip between the small space between Starfire's crossed arms, and hit home against her chin.

Starfire's head snapped back to fast, and the pain of having chomped down on her own tongue so strong, that she didn't even have the chance to think about defending against the spartan-kick Donnie sent at her unprotected chest right after, and she was soon joining Cyborg on the ground. The pair lay in a heap for a moment, Starfire spitting globs of blood from her pain-ridden mouth, before stumbling to their feet again...only to see the end to Beast Boy's own failed attempt to defeat his opponent too.

The green-skinned changeling hadn't been doing well from the beginning, having been struck with that outstanding opening attack by Mikey. From there it was a downhill attempt to dodge around the overly excited turtle's nuchaku. Those orange-tipped weapons of martial arts flew through the air, some times spinning like helicopter rotors and other times striking out faster than any serpent Beast Boy had ever seen. But whichever way Michelangelo chose to wield that pair of chained batons, they struck true and left the youngest Titan very little chance to use his abilities. During one such attempt however, the orange-clad turtle proved to be just as capable of handling those animals as he was with Beast Boy himself.

"Oh, awesome!" Mikey cried out in jubilation while he danced around Beast Boy, as the youngster had morphed into a kangaroo, and attempted to slam his feet into the turtle with a vicious double-kick. "But ya know, next time you might wanna try for something a little faster, and without a tail!"

Before Beast Boy had any time to react, Mikey was behind him and gripping said tail between his six fingers, and then the changeling found himself being whirled around in the air right before being thrown towards his fellow Titans so he could clatter to the cold pavement in a heap. The pain transformed him back, and after being hefted to his feet by Cyborg they watched...as Raven blasted _her_ opponent back with a cry of anger. Although, judging by the many bleeding cuts, and terrible shape of her tattered cloak, it hadn't been an easy match.

"Whoa, Leo got tossed!" Mikey cried out in obvious amazement, his jaw hanging open wide in an expression of disbelief. "Maybe _I_ should have taken on the daughter of Dracula if she's that good." The svelte turtle broke out into a chuckle fit, but it was ground to a halt when Raphael smacked him in the back of the head.

"She's the daughter of _Trigon_ doofus, and if she managed to do that to Leo what makes you think _you'd_ have a better shot at beating her? If anything it should have been me; at least I didn't have to break out my weapons to beat some dumb kid." The red turtle taunted, a reference to how he'd beaten Cyborg with his bare hands.

Catching the Titans attention it was the blonde man in the mask who spoke next, his deep voice carrying well across the open air. "Now boys, no arguing while we work remember? And besides, Leonardo was the _only_ one I would have wanted handling that particular Titan; the rest of you would have gotten distracted, and forgotten that this _isn't_ play time. Besides, look at her, the girl may have landed a hit but she took a whole lot more than she gave."

And indeed Raven had. The dark sorceress was hunched, holding one hand against her bleeding hip while she took in gulps of air. All across her shapely frame there were varying degrees of lacerations with some as small as a paper cut, while others looked like they would take a great deal of the half-demon's energy to close up without stitches. Underneath the destroyed remains of her violet cloak one could see, if they stood close enough, how her leotard was missing a sleeve and her belt had been sliced off along with several strips of the outfit itself; each one leaving behind a stain of red to blot Raven's normally smooth, pale flesh. This included her bare, slender legs which were left unprotected by the girl's choice of attire. While usually planes of unblemished perfection, the girl's lean limbs were now marred by nicks and spatters of crimson rivulets. Surprisingly though, the dark Titan's face had come away unscathed, though Raven suspected this was simply because their foes weren't actually trying to _kill_ them.

This was proven when their 'father' called to them again. "Alright boys, you've done enough, now it's time to move out! We've gotta get this tech to Taskmaster pronto; you know how he feels about tardiness on a job." With that the man turned and began to make his way to the driver' side of the Humvee...until a neon-blue blast stopped him.

Cyborg stood tall with his arm-cannon angled, now, directly at the large man. His face was set in stern frown as he said, "Lat time I checked, we were all still standing, which means this isn't over. You wanna walk away with whatever it is you've got in that trunk, you've gotta get past us. Your _sons_ may have caught us off-guard, got a few lucky shots in, but now we're ready for 'em; so unless you wanna give up now, I'd say it's about time for round two."

"Round two?" The blonde balked with a raised eyebrow. "You brats barely survived the opening act, but you're over there talking about trying for a repeat performance? Geeze, you punks are like chickens with their heads cut off without your leader, huh?"

Before Cyborg could offer a retort however, Raven's voice filled the small void with a surprising call. "He's right Cyborg, I hate to say it but we don't know enough about these guys or what they're capable of to try again. I only just managed to hit the one they call Leonardo with my magic, but look at what I had to go through to get it; and that's not to mention how the rest of you did with your turtle. We need to regroup, make a plan-"

"But they're already here Rae, right in front of us." Cyborg cut the girl off. "I know we didn't start off on the right foot, but I'm sure we can take em, we just have to try harder. Besides, you know how Rob feels about letting the bad guy get away-"

This time Raven cut _him_ off. "Which is why I'll be the one to deal with the consequences of my call when we get back, but for now I'm still acting leader and I say _stand_ _down_ ; I wanna get you all back to Robin in one piece, you know that."

Cyborg didn't get the chance to reply however, because their enemy spoke before he had time to. "How about this; the big guy and I'll have a quick go at it. If he puts me down, my boys and I will give ourselves up without a fight, but if the metal man hits the pavement then we're free to go, sound fair?"

"No," Raven countered.

"You're on!" Cyborg accepted firmly at the same moment. And when the battle-stained beauty gave him a hard look with her amethyst eyes, the mechanical Titan only shrugged his large shoulders and said, "What, this way we'll get the perp and you won't have to feel like I disobeyed your orders. The guy's practically gift wrapping himself for us Rae, come on."

The Titan's second-in-command knew she should put her foot down, should firmly tell Cyborg 'no'. But there was a part of her, one that she hadn't fully realized was there yet, that wanted to prove that she could be trusted to stand in for Robin if he were ever unable to relay orders to the team...that she could be an equal to the masked teen, and not just another member of the team meant to stand behind him. Which is why, before she could stop herself, Raven found herself complying, "Just...don't get hurt."

"Booyah!" Cyborg hollered in excitement, his gaze sweeping over to settle on his opponent. "You hear that buddy, you and your freaky kids are about to go down~!"

"We'll see," said the man in the mask as he stepped away from the Humvee. Keeping his brown eyes steady on Cyborg though, the blonde ordered the four turtles to get back to the vehicle. "This won't take long, and I'll want you four ready to peel out of here the second I lay this twerp out, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Sir!" The four walking amphibians snapped into salutes before leaping and flipping over to their means of escape, Donnie taking over the driving while the other three took up places hanging around the Humvee's armored body.

"You see that; a little discipline and good parenting does wonders. As for _you_ , I'll be sure to put you down fast and hard for even thinking to question that these boys are mine. I spent years on the formula that brought them to life, and then sixteen more raising them into the finest ninjas this world has ever seen, so don't go thinking I just picked them up out of a box or some stupid pet store!"

Cyborg rolled his shoulders as he stalked towards the large man. "Well that's touching, and hey, when this is over you'll all have even more years to spend together...in _prison_." With that the cybernetic teen rushed the last few feet towards the blonde in the mask and launched a haymaker with the intent of ending things quickly.

Sportsmaster saw this coming easily enough however that he weaved around the younger fighter's burly, metal fist and delivered one of his own punches right to Cyborg's gut. When the teen managed to keep himself standing Sportsmaster took a single step back and cocked his left fist for a powerful shot at the human-machine hybrid.

Cyborg managed to catch this attempt though, but silently cursed as he felt the man's fist rattle the mechanics that made up the entirety of his own arm. The pain must have shown on his face however, because the blonde towered over him with mockery clear in his eyes. "Had enough already kid," the masked man taunted, "not much of a hero if you can't even take one little punch."

Sportsmaster could clearly hear the growl that Cyborg let slip from between his clenched teeth and he mentally shook his head at how easy it was to manipulate the mechanical Titan. It was clear the boy had anger issues of his own, and a competitive streak as dangerous as that of his leader; the difference being Cyborg's inability to see it for himself. Ripping his hand back from the hold Cyborg had it in, Sportsmaster used the momentum to shoulder-check the boy and then follow up with a headbutt that had the teen crying out in pain.

Pain blinded Cyborg for only a moment, but this proved to be long enough for his opponent to finish the fight, because before the eldest Titan knew what was happening he found himself being kneed in the gut and then flying through the air courtesy of a swift uppercut to the jaw. It was as he was being brought down by gravity that the quickly fading Cyborg heard the tell-tale sounds of an engine revving, followed along with the hollering worry of his team-mates...and then nothing.

The next time Cyborg opened his eyes it was to the towers' med-bay ceiling, and the uncertain eyes of his masked leader.

 _ **xXx**_

Robin stared into the empty mask of his unfinished suit; the attire having been hidden inside his personal chamber, away from the prying eyes of his team. He had been working on it through the nights since the Titan's defeat and was semi-satisfied with his own progress. He'd managed to reconstruct the metals of his apprentice suit so that they laced the top-half of a Kevlar bodysuit, giving it a heavy gray tint, but there wasn't any left for the bottoms and this left Robin with a basic pair of military-grade combat pants and boots. He'd replaced the traffic-light green glove of his current uniform with a set of thick, leather motorcycle gloves for the time being and attached metal plates to the backs of them along the knuckle. Add to this the prototype lenses of his new mask and all-in-all the new uniform looked more like it belonged to an actual vigilante rather than a hero; but then, it was only the first attempt, Robin mentally reasoned with himself.

Thinking of heroes inevitably caused the Boy-Wonder to recall the debriefing he'd had with his own team after their latest mission. It still left a bitter taste in the spiky-haired teen's mouth. They had been defeated, soundly, by Raven's honest account of the event. Yet even this took a bit of a back seat to the fact that Cyborg had openly challenged the petite sorceress' command in front of the enemy; something the entire team knew Robin himself _did not_ tolerate. And yet this train of thought only lead to confusion, as he wondered what would have caused his second-in-command to actual agree to the deal proposed by the man in the hockey mask. Robin knew Raven a bit more than most, their bond admittedly aiding him in that regard, and so he knew such a thing was out of character for the gothic Titan.

However upon asking her about it in private Robin only found silence and shaky eye contact, as if Raven was expecting him to scold her.

"Raven," he'd coaxed her gently, making sure to keep his voice low and his tone light. "I'm only asking because normally you don't give in to that kind of stuff. If it's just that you had faith in Cyborg's ability to win, then it's okay, I just want to make sure he didn't just ware you down until you agreed."

"He didn't," Raven had replied. Her voice to many would sound the same monotone as always, but spending so much time with the girl allowed Robin to pick up the trace amount of insistence that edged those two words, as though she needed the masked teen to believe her. Yet when she went on to speak again there was something new in her voice, something Robin _hadn't_ heard before and thus couldn't identify right away. "I just...I didn't want the first time you trusted me to lead, to end in failure."

It wasn't much, but as he stood there in his vault staring into those empty white lenses Robin found he was okay with that. After all, in the beginning, and even much of the first few months that the team had been formed, Raven wouldn't have even given him _that_ much. It was slow, but the Boy-Wonder could see that the dark empath was indeed making an effort to be more open, and this made him smile quietly to himself. However that small grin soon fell away into what many had considered his version of the 'Bat glare' as he thought back to the rest of what his team had told him.

Four walking, talking turtles who seemed to be experts in martial arts being lead by a large man in plated gear who called himself their father. While Robin hadn't ever come into contact with the turtles however, based on the description given by Cyborg the teen hero was almost positive he'd tangled with their leader back during his tenure with Bruce. And yet, if it was indeed Sportsmaster this only conjured the question of what the man was doing _here_ , in Jump City. The tech he'd stolen seemed random as it was a single unit of Fox-Tech's newest blood filtering machine; the company being known for its extensive research into aiding the health and well-being of mankind. And while such a device could sell for a small fortune based on the many different ways it could be reconfigured Robin still felt that this just wasn't a good enough reason to bring a man like Sportsmaster all the way here from Gotham.

 _'But then maybe that's because this wasn't Sportsmaster pulling the strings, but this Taskmaster Starfire heard him mention.'_ Robin thought, running a single bare hand through his head of dark hair. He'd forgone his usual gel routine that night and allowed the normal mess of spikes to stick out at all sorts of different angles; something about the feathery feel of his natural hair soothed the tired hero. _'Or maybe he just said that to throw us off his trail? I've never heard of anyone calling themselves Taskmaster before, and I don't think there was one during Bruce's years before me, so maybe it's someone knew?'_

It was with a frustrated sigh that Robin swiped his hands over his face and scrubbed the heals of his palms against his covered eyes. So many names, so many people wanting to accomplish bad things, and it was beginning to feel as though they were all beginning to converge in _his_ city. _'Batman must have finally started driving them out'_ , the colorful crime-fighter thought wryly to himself. Whatever the cause though Robin was determined now more than ever to reforge himself into a better hero, someone his city could truly depend on to get things done and clean up the mess that had begun to infect Jump before his and the other Titan's arrival.

Thinking of this Robin glanced over his body. Having forgone wearing anything more than his mask and a pair of sweatpants the Boy-Wonder could easily see the fading purple of his bruises as they finally began to transition into a sickly yellow around his clean bandages. Underneath those strips of white though Robin knew there lay something else as well; scars. An assortment of raised tissue to add to his seemingly ever-growing collection. It was to the point that Robin was sure the only place he hadn't permanently damaged was his face, although he took great care to make sure of this in every battle so it didn't come as a surprise. After all, if someone damaged just one of his eyes, or Universe forbid his _brain_ then the former side-kick knew that his hero career would come to a swift end after that.

The knowledge of his own mortality, of his ultimately human body nudged at something inside of the young teen. However it wasn't Robin who felt it, but Dick Grayson. Envy. For all Richards amazing abilities; all his wit, physical prowess and detective skills he was still only human. A glass cannon, as the expression goes. He could stand up to the likes of Slade and had even battled demons from Hell, but in the end it had all been tainted by luck. One wrong step or even the smallest oversight in one of those battles could have very well spelled the end for Dick and inside this made him angry.

Not angry at his parents, he could never disrespect their memory with his own darkness, no Dick Grayson was angry at the Universe for creating him in the image of a mere mortal. It irked the teen to know that no matter what he did, eventually his days as a crime-fighter would end; by death or forced retirement was yet to be seen, but the very principal of the matter was what rubbed him so raw. Richard loved being a hero and helping to keep the world safe, he basked in the warmth that came with knowing every day he made a difference no matter how big or small. And yet there was also the more painful, personal reasons. Dick also felt the need to protect others from the same horrible things he himself had witnessed growing up, whether it be the death of family or the mutilation of an innocent man Richard believed that his purpose in life was to spare other people from pain and if need be bare that weight himself. How could he do that though if his weak, _human_ body would one day give out on him?

These dark, self-loathing thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt however as Robin felt a wave of calm reassurance wash over him. It crashed gently against his core before wrapping around him like a blanket, or more accurately, a hug. One that Robin soon found himself relaxing into as the energy continued to move gently around him. _'Raven.'_ He must have unconsciously reached out to her through their link, he realized.

There was no response, but then Robin hadn't expected one. While the pair had discovered the ability to feel the other's emotions and send out feelings of their own they had yet to figure out if they could communicate telepathically as well. Yet while this would be nice Robin knew there was no rushing the evolution of their connection; it had taken them weeks just to figure out how to close off the sharing of emotions, and that alone had been embarrassing enough for the both of them that Robin worried what might happen if they could eventually read each others minds.

This train of thought seemed to be more to Raven's liking because the enveloping energy shifted and grew warmer in a sign of both joy and a bit of mirth at the boy's embarrassment. However this soon turned to one of exhaustion and Robin quickly got the message; it had been a long day, and it was time for rest.

Robin did his best to send back that he understood before closing off the link again. From there he went about shutting down and locking up his personal vault only to stop at the door, and look back at the glass case that kept the prototype for his new uniform. Robin's own masked eyes locked with the hollow lenses of the one on the mannequin one last time, and just as he went to shut the door the young hero mentally remade his earlier promise.

He would become the hero Jump City needed, no matter the cost.

 _ **xXx**_

While the Titans were shutting down for the night though Sportsmaster and his boys had returned to Slade's island and delivered the man's requested tech. Now the blonde man was once again standing among the group of villains he'd been made to work with, only this time it had been just he, Hush and Cheshire invited to the party.

"So what, you saw what my boys can do and realized you didn't need the others?" Sportsmaster chuckled to himself as he took in the lack of attendees. "I know you doubted them, but after the whooping they gave those kids I don't think even you can find anything to say about their abilities now."

Slade's response was short and simple. "Robin wasn't there, Sportsmaster, so at best you were facing the Titans at half strength. But I didn't call you four here to crush your dreams; we're moving on to the next part of the plan. Now that I have the filter I need one of either Hush or Cheshire to steal a number of blood stores being held at Jump Memorial Hospital, as I'll be needing samples of each blood-type though for my next stage to have accurate results. While this is going on I'm going to have the H.I.V.E students get in a little exercise of their own; I've already cleared it with Sebastian. You, Sportsmaster are her simply to give your consent for Miss Cheshire take on this assignment if I so choose to use her. After all, I wouldn't want to send your daughter out without your knowledge or approval as that would be bad for business."

"How very kind of you, _Taskmaster_." Lawrence Crock scoffed a bit in response, because the blonde knew what his employer really meant. Slade would send whoever he wanted out into the field anyway, and this was just Sportsmaster final chance to back out of their partnership. And while the man did care for his daughters safety, even if she was a well-trained assassin, thoughts about why the pair were even doing this flashed through the father's mind and forced him to comply. "But I'm sure Cheshire can handle whatever you ask of her.

Slade's lone, lice-blue eye curved in what could possibly be a smile while his tone shifted to an almost mocking delight. "Splendid, then I guess we'll decide here so that the person can be on their 're going to try and keep the Titans busy for the first few stages of the plan, so that means everyone needs to be ready to go at a moments notice. I'd rather they not get much time to put all the pieces together, you understand?" Slade stopped for moment as if to let this all sink in before giving the others in the room another 'eye smile' and saying, "I have a good feeling about tonight my friends; something tells me the real fun is only just beginning."

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N: It's a shorter chapter than the other two but I finally got around to chapter three. I kept the use of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from my last attempt at this story because I just liked the idea of using a cohesive team that was highly skilled, that I didn't have to make up lol. If you want to consider it lazy go ahead, but last time I checked there actually is a crossover where they fight Batman so I'd say I'm okay.**_

 _ **Anyway, I'm trying to add a little more depth the the characters by giving them specific fears and/or insecurities so please feel free to let me know what you all thought of that.**_

 _ **Um, I'm honestly not too sure what else to mention here other than the fact that I saw the new Venom movie at the beginning of the week and thought it was a lot of fun lol. Oh well, be sure to leave reviews to let me know your thoughts, and I'll hopefully not take so long to post another chapter for this story!**_


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